Victor Osimhen to Atletico Madrid: Real reasons January transfer could collapse

Victor Osimhen is one of the best performing strikers outside of Europe’s top five leagues but the chances of seeing him cross over to the mainstream in January are at its slimmest.

Atletico Madrid could miss out on Osimhen in January, with Diego Simeone facing a difficult task to prise the Nigerian striker away from Galatasaray.

The Argentine manager is a big admirer of Osimhen and there were reports suggesting the representatives of the Super Eagles star held talks with Atlético Madrid in the summer.

Eventually, nothing came out of those discussions as the Spanish club were able to hold on to star forward Julian Alvarez, who could have left for either Barcelona or Arsenal.

New Victor Osimhen links to Atlético Madrid

With Alvarez staying at Atlético Madrid, Osimhen continued at Galatasaray and the former Napoli ace is enjoying another stunning start to the season.

His goals, assists and performances have renewed admiration from the powers-that-be at Atlético.

According to DirecTV Sports via Turkish outlet Haberler, Simeone has his eyes back on Osimhen, who he would love to lead his attack. The Atletico boss is attracted to the striker’s strength, finishing and ability to run in behind defenders.

But Galatasaray are under no pressure to sell, Atletico already have established forwards, and Osimhen’s wages could make a January deal difficult to complete.

Obstacles that could block Osimhen to Atletico Madrid in January

1. Galatasaray could demand more than €100 million

Galatasaray paid Napoli €75 million, the highest in the history of football in the country, to sign Victor Osimhen permanently and gave him a contract until 2029.

The Arsenal-linked Nigeria international is a key component of Galatasaray’s sporting and commercial projects in Istanbul. His importance to the Turkish giants, therefore, means Atletico are unlikely to get him on the cheap.

Reports in the summer indicate that the Turkish champions could demand between €100 million and €150 million for the striker. That Galatasaray stance is unlikely to change in January.

Atlético have the financial strength to pull off such a significant investment, having done so several times in recent years. But for this particular deal, the Spaniards are reportedly considering instalment payments, performance bonuses and player exchanges to reduce the upfront cost.

However, negotiating such a mega deal in January would be complicated, and there may not be enough time to agree on the terms before the transfer window closes.

2. Julian Alvarez stands in the way

It is also unlikely that Atletico would make a serious move for Osimhen when their squad already has three world-class centre-forwards in Julian Alvarez, Alexander Sorloth and Jonathan David.

Alvarez is a key part of Simeone’s plans, while Sorloth and David are elite attacking options that could drive Atletico Madrid towards the club’s ambitions.

Signing Osimhen would give Atletico another proven goalscorer, but it would leave Simeone with more strikers than he can accommodate.

The more realistic scenario is for Osimhen to be the striker Atletico bring in to replace a departing forward. It is, however, unlikely for the club to allow Alvarez leave for Barcelona midway through the campaign.

In other words, if Alvarez stays at Atlético Madrid, Osimhen will not be arriving at the Wanda Metropolitano.