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Victor Osimhen has pledged his future to Galatasaray. The 27-year-old striker was heavily linked with a move to Chelsea during the summer of 2024, but a deal collapsed at the eleventh hour, and he joined the Turkish giants on an initial loan instead.

In an interview with Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport ahead of Galatasaray's clash against Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League, Osimhen suggested it was a 'stroke of luck' that he found 'love' in Istanbul. The Nigeria international said: "I found a club and a city I love, maybe it was a stroke of luck.

"As soon as you arrive in Istanbul, you understand why everyone who's played here has fallen in love with the team and the people. I've never experienced anything like it."

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On Galatasaray, Osimhen added: "We're trying to grow internationally. We've signed other top-class players, and we're aiming to do well in the Champions League. We're an established force in Turkey, but now we want to make our mark in Europe."

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football.london understands that the Blues submitted a bid for Osimhen in the final days of the 2024 transfer window. The west Londoners wanted to sign Osimhen on a season-long loan, which included an obligation-to-buy clause.

Despite Chelsea's best efforts, they couldn't reach an agreement with Napoli before the deadline. So, having already been exiled by Antonio Conte, the Nigerian snubbed an 'extortionate' offer from Al-Ahli and joined Galatasaray.

The following summer, the Süper Lig champions smashed the Turkish transfer record by paying the Italian outfit £65.6million (€75million) to sign Osimhen permanently. Meanwhile, the Blues took their business elsewhere, prising Joao Pedro and Liam Delap from Brighton and Ipswich Town, respectively, for a combined £90million.

Osimhen penned a long-term deal at Galatasaray, but he could've joined Juventus. He continued: "Yes, just as I could be at two other top Serie A clubs today.

"Before negotiations with Galatasaray began, [Cristiano] Giuntoli called me to bring me to Juve. I spoke to a couple of people at the club, and they showed interest, but I knew he (Aurelio De Laurentiis, whom Osimhen didn't specifically mentions) wouldn't let me go.

"In any case, the interest was definitely there. And when Juve calls you, regardless of everything, you have to sit down and listen."

On whether Conte tried to mend the rift at Napoli, Osimhen said: "Of course, even though they said he didn't want me on the team. Are you serious? What coach wouldn't have wanted me at that point?

"As soon as I arrived, Conte called me into his office and told me he was aware of the situation but that, despite everything, he wanted me to stay. I explained to him that I would have liked to work with him, but by then I had made my choice: I didn't want to continue working in a place where I wasn't happy."

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