Victor Osimhen has always had a nose for goals, but now he can lay claim to a title that goes beyond the pitch.
With his big-money permanent move to Galatasaray set to be confirmed, the Super Eagles star, who is already one of the richest Nigerian footballers, has now become Africa's most expensive footballer of all time—at least in cumulative transfer fees.
While Nicolas Pépé still holds the record for the highest individual fee paid for an African player, Osimhen’s transfer history paints a broader, more lucrative picture.
Victor Osimhen's record-breaking transfer fee
Turkish giants Galatasaray splashing out €75 million to bring Osimhen to Istanbul from Napoli has raised eyebrows, especially considering the striker was entering the final year of his contract with the reigning Serie A champions, and had more lucrative offers from elsewhere.
The fee makes him the most expensive signing in Turkish football history and, more crucially, nudges his career transfer total beyond that of Sadio Mane. The deal, though unexpected, is a statement—and it has rewritten the financial pecking order of African football.
Hazır mıyız? ⏳ pic.twitter.com/j8f0pGUMCU
— Galatasaray SK (@GalatasaraySK) July 30, 2025
Osimhen had already joined Napoli in 2020 for a then-record fee of €78.9 million from Lille, making him the second-most expensive African footballer at the time. But this latest move reaffirms his value in the market, particularly for a striker whose blend of athleticism, hunger, and finishing is in high demand.
Africa's most expensive footballers
While the headlines often focus on singular transfers, cumulative career fees tell a more complete story. Here's what the top 10 looks like (all figures sourced from Transfermarkt).
Victor Osimhen – €183.3m
- Ultimate Strikers to Wolfsburg: €3.5m
- Wolfsburg to Charleroi: €3.5m
- Charleroi to Lille: €22m
- Lille to Napoli: €78.9m
- Napoli to Galatasaray: €75m
Sadio Mané – €130.2m
- Metz to Salzburg: €4m
- Salzburg to Southampton: €23m
- Southampton to Liverpool: €41.2m
- Liverpool to Bayern: €32m
- Bayern Munich to Al Nassr: €30m
Achraf Hakimi – €111m
- Real Madrid to Inter Milan: €43m
- Inter Milan to PSG: €68m
Riyad Mahrez – €103.3m
- Le Havre to Leicester: €500k
- Leicester to Man City: €67.8m
- Man City to Al-Ahli: €35m
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – €99.55m
- AC Milan to Saint-Etienne: €1.8m
- Saint-Étienne to Borussia Dortmund: €13m
- Borussia Dortmund to Arsenal: €63.75m
- Barcelona to Chelsea: €12m
- Marseille to Al-Qadsiah: €9m
Nicolas Pépé – €98m
- Angers to Lille: €18m
- Lille to Arsenal: €80m
Naby Keita: €91.25m
- Istres to RB Salzburg: €1.5m
- RB Salzburg to RB Leipzig: €29.75
- RB Leipzig to Liverpool: €60m
Samuel Eto’o – €81.2m
- Real Madrid to Mallorca: €7.2m
- Mallorca to Barcelona: €27m
- Barcelona to Inter: €20m
- Inter to Anzhi: €27m
Mohamed Salah – €81m
- Al Mokawloon to Basel: €2.5m
- Basel to Chelsea: €16.5m
- Chelsea to Roma: €5m (loan); €15m
- Roma to Liverpool: €42m
Kalidou Koulibaly: 73.95m
- Metz to Genk: €1.3m
- Genk to Napoli: €7.75m
- Napoli to Chelsea: €41.9m
- Chelsea to Al-Hilal: €23m
Victor Osimhen's transfer history
After emerging at the 2015 U-17 World Cup, Osimhen secured a move to Wolfsburg in 2017. Although that stint yielded limited returns, a loan (and later permanent) move to Charleroi reignited his career. From there, he took a major step to Lille in 2019, scoring 18 goals in his only season in France.
That performance earned him a landmark transfer to Napoli, where he grew into one of Europe's most complete strikers. Four seasons and a Serie A title later, he moved again—this time to Galatasaray—adding another chapter to a remarkable career trajectory.
Victor Osimhen's career earnings
Beyond the transfer fees, Osimhen boasts significant wage earnings. Based on publicly available data, his gross career earnings across all clubs are estimated at €38.4 million. Here's how it breaks down—note, these are all estimates.
- Wolfsburg (2017–2019): €440,000
- Charleroi (2018–2019): €190,000
- Lille (2019–2020): €1.3 million
- Napoli (2020–2024): €28.5 million
- Galatasaray (2024–2025): €8 million
These numbers exclude bonuses and endorsements, which would push his net worth even higher. But, even on base salary alone, Osimhen’s career has been quite lucrative.
In the end, “most expensive” might be a loaded term, but for Victor Osimhen, it's a more than fair one.
