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Fenerbahçe board member Hakan Safi has revealed he was willing to personally bankroll a move for Victor Osimhen last summer, Footynaija reports.
Safi insists finances were never the obstacle in a transfer that ultimately failed to materialise as Osimhen joined Galatasaray on a permanent deal from Napoli.
Osimhen, though, could have ended in Fenerbahçe if the club had given Safi the backing to pursue a move for the Super Eagles striker, says the Turkish businessman.
“I was going to complete the Osimhen transfer, I had prepared the money, I was ready to pay. They didn’t tell me to ‘go ahead,'” Safi noted, as per BuzzSpor, revealing that he had already arranged the funds privately to complete what would have been the biggest deal in Turkish football.
However, the proposal stalled at boardroom level. Safi explained that the move could not proceed because he did not receive the required approval from club president Ali Koç. Without that ‘go-ahead’, the plan was abandoned despite the financial backing being in place.
The businessman also outlined an unusual structure for the transfer. According to his account, he intended to sign Osimhen through his own company before effectively handing the striker over to Fenerbahçe, a model occasionally seen in high-value deals across the league.
Even with Safi’s readiness to fund the operation, reportedly at figures significantly above market expectations, other factors played a decisive role. Reports at the time suggested that Osimhen himself preferred a switch to Galatasaray, where he later completed a €75 million permanent move following a prolific loan spell that delivered the 2024–25 Süper Lig title.
Safi hinted that such missed opportunities could be avoided in future. He stated that if he were to become club president, financial constraints would not limit recruitment, adding that he would focus on signing ‘A-plus’ forwards.
Osimhen will, tonight, aim to add to his seven goals and three assists in the Champions League when Galatasaray take on Liverpool at Anfield.
The Turkish giants only need to avoid a defeat to advance to the quarter finals of the competition for the first time in over a decade.
