Osimhen transfer: One Frank Leboeuf question about Nigeria star Arsenal, Barca must answer

Victor Osimhen has an excellent goalscoring record that should make Europe’s top clubs pay attention any day, Afrik-Foot reports.

The Barcelona-linked Super Eagles striker scored 76 goals in 133 games for Napoli, including 26 Serie A goals in the 2022-23 title-winning season. That was the Neapolitans first Scudetto title since the days of the legendary Diego Maradona, a period spanning more than three decades.

The Nigeria international then moved to Galatasaray and produced 37 goals in 41 games during his first season in Turkey. The former Lille forward, who could be a great buy for Manchester United, has claimed back-to-back Turkish Super Lig title in Istanbul.

That brilliance in front of goal and consistency in his craft are the reasons why Frank Leboeuf has asked a simple but striking question. Why are clubs such as Barcelona and Arsenal not moving harder to sign the Nigerian?

Speaking on ESPN via Tribuna, the former France international said:

“I see Barcelona running after Julian Alvarez and I wonder why they are not thinking about Victor Osimhen.”

Leboeuf believes the answer should be clear on the pitch.

“Osimhen will be good for Barcelona, he will be good for Arsenal as well. Every club that gets Osimhen will be getting a top striker,” he said. “If I were Barcelona, I would use that Alvarez money and get Osimhen.”

Then came the question that gives this transfer story its edge:

“Maybe at the end of his career, Osimhen will explain why big clubs never come for him,” Leboeuf concluded.

Osimhen’s numbers make the question harder to ignore

Osimhen’s record did not slow down after Napoli. He scored 26 league goals for Galatasaray in 2024-25 and finished as the Süper Lig’s top scorer. His 37 goals in all competitions also helped Galatasaray win the Turkish league and cup.

His 2025 move also explains why the market around him is not simple. Galatasaray paid Napoli €75m for a four-year contract. The deal includes a 10% share of profit from a future sale. Osimhen’s package is also large: €15m net salary each season, plus a €1m loyalty payment and €5m for image rights. That creates a high entry cost before a buying club even starts negotiations.

At 27, Osimhen is no longer a developing prospect. He is a proven striker who has won Serie A and the Süper Lig, scored 76 goals for Napoli and built an even stronger scoring record in Istanbul. The question Leboeuf has raised is therefore not whether the former Napoli man can score. The question is why Europe’s richest clubs have not decided that his goals, power and experience are worth the price.