Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho has openly admitted that his club would be unable to afford a player of Victor Osimhen's calibre.
The Nigeria international joined Galatasaray, Fenerbahce's fierce rivals, on a season-long loan from Napoli. The deal includes a break clause, allowing him to leave in January if one of his preferred clubs shows interest.
Galatasaray will pay €6 million ($6.65 million) net to the 25-year-old, and under his new agreement with Napoli, Osimhen now has a buyout clause set at €75 million (£63.2 million).
Mourinho cries poverty over ‘fantastic' Victor Osimhen
In a recent interview, the Portuguese trainer emphasised Fenerbahce's financial limitations in acquiring top-tier talent like Victor Osimhen.
“Osimhen is a fantastic player,” Mourinho told HT Spor.
“If I were at a club with the potential to pay his €70-75 million transfer fee, I’d buy him. He is a fantastic player. Of course, he can be in different circumstances, but in the end, it doesn't matter. What matters is that Galatasaray got an absolutely fantastic player.”
Despite his admiration for Osimhen, Mourinho reiterated an old criticism of Galatasaray's latest acquisition.
“I don’t have any issues with Victor. In fact, we have a very good relationship. However, every time I play against him, I speak to him because I don't like the way he behaves—he dives too much.
“The last time Roma played against Napoli, I had this conversation with him and told him, ‘Look, you’re one of the two best African players. It is you and Salah. In the past, we had Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, and George Weah. You cannot behave like this.’ He dives too much, and that is my problem with him.”
This is the second time the 61-year-old has expressed his disapproval of Osimhen’s on-pitch conduct, having made similar comments about the Nigeria striker in July.
