Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen was pitched to Atletico Madrid this week, but the La Liga side passed after questions over price and their own forward plans.
Spanish journalist Ruben Uria reported that intermediaries offered the Nigerian striker to Atletico for €75 million ($86.61 million), with Osimhen said to be willing to take a significant pay cut to facilitate a move to Spain.
Atletico rejected the approach. The club cited unresolved futures for Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth as a key reason, and also doubted whether €75 million would be enough to convince Galatasaray to sell.
Turkish reports added that Osimhen, who earns a guaranteed €21 million per year in Istanbul, was prepared to lower his salary substantially to make a switch more viable.
The 2026 Champions League round-of-16 saw Osimhen feature against Juventus in February, and he remains Galatasaray’s marquee forward. The Istanbul club have no public reason to sell cheap, especially with the market for elite No.9s still hot.
For Atletico, the timing was off. With two senior strikers’ situations pending, and skepticism that Galatasaray would accept $86.6 million, the board opted not to engage further.
The door is not closed permanently, but for now Atletico are standing down, leaving Osimhen set to stay in Turkey unless another suitor meets Galatasaray’s valuation.
