Juventus tipped to beat Atletico Madrid, Barcelona to Victor Osimhen

Juventus, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are all being linked with a possible summer move for Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen, just months after he made his permanent switch to Galatasaray, Afrik-Foot reports.

The latest claims have come from former Galatasaray player and assistant coach Hasan Şaş, who believes the Turkish club may struggle to keep hold of their star man if Europe’s biggest teams come calling.

Both Atletico Madrid and Barcelona have recently been mentioned as possible destinations.

🇳🇬 Victor Osimhen has 62 G/A in 63 games for Galatasaray. 🔥

📊 His underrated career stats:
👕 338 games
⚽ 201 goals
🎯 52 assists

One of the best in the world! ⭐ pic.twitter.com/PnHf1jgG4Z

— Sholy Nation Sports (@Sholynationsp) February 13, 2026

Atletico have already had success this season with Nigerian winger Ademola Lookman, who joined them in January and quickly became a fan favourite. Şaş feels another fast and decisive move, this time for Osimhen, could be on the cards.

Barcelona, meanwhile, are thought to be searching for a long-term replacement for veteran striker Robert Lewandowski, which could put Osimhen high on their wish list.

Victor Osimhen: Juventus could move fastest in the race

Despite interest from Spain, Şaş believes Juventus may be the club most likely to strike quickly, just as Atletico did with Lookman.

Osimhen has been in brilliant form since arriving in Istanbul, scoring 52 goals and providing 11 assists in just 63 matches across all competitions. His goals have also sparked talk of a possible reunion with former coach Luciano Spalletti in Turin.

Speaking on the sporON YouTube channel via Karadeniz Gazete, Şaş said Galatasaray may have little power to stop a big move.

“I don’t think Osimhen will stay at Galatasaray,” he said. “Even if he performs well in the Juventus match and helps Galatasaray advance to the next round. They’ll take him from there.”

Şaş also revealed the club already has a plan if Osimhen leaves, by quickly extending the contract of Argentine striker Mauro Icardi.

“The moment Osimhen reaches a point where he could leave Galatasaray, Icardi’s contract will be extended immediately,” he disclosed.

He pointed again to Lookman’s transfer story, explaining how Turkish clubs such as Fenerbahçe S.K. showed interest, but Atletico moved faster by paying the required fee to Atalanta.

“I’ve been saying Lookman here since September, then Fenerbahçe came out and said ‘We’ll get him’. Then Atletico Madrid, a team that wasn’t even on the market, paid the money and took him,” he added.

“They’ll do the same with Osimhen. They’ll take him and leave. As long as a European team needs something, they won’t look at the price.

“If Osimhen gets past the Juventus match, they’ll come alone, take him and leave.”

Galatasaray hold the key to any transfer, though, as the Turkish giants have Osimhen’s commitments until the summer of 2029.