Galatasaray shut down Atletico Madrid's move for Osimhen, leaving striker search open

Galatasaray have categorically rejected Atletico Madrid’s approach for Víctor Osimhen, with club president Dursun Özbek stating the 27-year-old Nigerian striker will not be sold this summer. The rebuff removes one of Atletico’s backup options as they plan their forward line for the 2026/27 season.

The approach had been framed internally as a fallback rather than a primary pursuit. Atletico’s striker planning has been complicated by sustained external interest in Julián Álvarez, which led the club to quietly assess alternatives in case pressure on their Argentine forward became unmanageable.

Özbek was unambiguous in his position, describing Osimhen as a costly and important signing and pointing to the striker’s own stated happiness in Istanbul. Since joining from Napoli, Osimhen has scored 59 goals in 74 appearances for Galatasaray, contributing to two Superliga Turca titles and a Copa de Turquía. According to Mundo Deportivo, Osimhen had shown some personal interest in Atletico and their manager following the recent Champions League, which made the approach viable in principle — but Galatasaray’s stance left no room for negotiation.

The closure of the Osimhen route matters in the wider context of Atletico’s summer. Their primary concern remains holding on to Álvarez, who is protected by a €500m release clause and a contract running until 2030. Those terms have not deterred Real Madrid, Arsenal, Barcelona, and PSG from monitoring the situation, as reported by ESPN. Atletico have consistently maintained that any club wishing to discuss Álvarez is welcome to trigger the clause rather than open a separate negotiation — and their asking price has not shifted.

With the Spanish transfer window closing on 1 September, Atletico must now identify alternative striker options if they are to have a genuine contingency in place. Whether the club moves quietly for another target or decides existing squad depth is sufficient will depend largely on how aggressively interest in Álvarez develops in the coming weeks — and whether any club ultimately tests the clause.