Galatasaray are planning to offer Victor Osimhen the historic No. 9 jersey as part of a meticulously planned strategy to persuade the Super Eagles striker to stay in Istanbul and turn off offers from some of Europe’s best clubs ahead of the 2026/27 season.
The Nigerian attacker has worn the No. 45 shirt at Galatasaray since joining the club from Napoli, as Argentine forward Mauro Icardi has worn the No. 9 jersey during their time together.
With Icardi slated to leave this summer once his contract expires at the end of June, the shirt will become available, and the Turkish champions aim to give it directly to Osimhen as a sign of his dominance at the club.
The 27-year-old has emerged as Manchester United manager Michael Carrick’s top target, with the club looking for a proven goalscorer to lead the way as they prepare to return to the UEFA Champions League. Arsenal, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, and Chelsea have also expressed an interest.
Galatasaray, who signed Osimhen permanently from Napoli in a Turkish transfer record deal of €75 million last year, values the striker between €130 million and €150 million and has turned down significant interest from big European clubs.
The No. 9 shirt is the second strand of a two-part retention strategy. The first—the possibility of handing Osimhen the captaincy following Icardi’s departure, is proof the club officials view the Nigerian as the most influential figure in the dressing room.
Turkish football analyst Ali Naci Kucuk revealed the captaincy idea, stating that Galatasaray executives feel such a leadership post would not be instantly available to Osimhen at teams such as United, Arsenal, or Chelsea, where established dressing-room hierarchies exist.
The captaincy and the No. 9 shirt constitute Galatasaray’s most visible effort yet to provide Osimhen with an emotional and symbolic stake in the club’s future that extends beyond his playing contract.
This season, Osimhen scored 15 league goals and five assists in 22 matches, while he added seven goals and three assists in 10 UEFA Champions League outings until Galatasaray was eliminated by Liverpool in the round of 16. During his stay in Turkey, his goals were instrumental in securing successive Süper Lig titles.
