Galatasaray reject £111m Osimhen transfer offer as Arsenal task made clear

Galatasaray have already turned down a bid of £111million from Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal for Victor Osimhen - underlining the challenge facing Arsenal.

The Gunners have expressed an interest in the Nigerian striker as they negotiate with the Turkish side, who themselves are keen on some of Arsenal's stars. Galatasaray are determined to keep hold of their star striker and do not want to sell him.

And their decision to knock back over £100m this summer suggests Arsenal will have to go well beyond that to sign Osimhen, which in itself would be a club-record spend.

The ex-Napoli striker has been linked with a Premier League switch previously in his career, once being firmly on Chelsea's radar, but when his time in Italy was up he moved to Galatasaray, where he's helped them become champions. The 27-year-old scored 22 goals in all competitions last season.

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Arsenal remain in talks with the Turkish side as they look to offload Gabriel Martinelli and, possibly, Ethan Nwaneri, reports The Sun. Galatasaray have indicated they would pay around £38m for Martinelli, who was once a favourite at the Gunners but has since fallen down the pecking order. It would still represent a major profit for Arsenal, who signed the Brazilian in 2019.

Nwaneri is another player to lose out as a result of Arsenal's aggressive transfer business in recent years. The teenager had to head to Marseille last term and, now back in north London, is thought to prefer a move to Germany if he does leaves Arsenal. Both Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig are keen.

Mikel Arteta is in the market for a marquee attacker this summer and has missed out on the likes of Morgan Rogers and Vinicius Junior. Both would've represented blockbuster transfers with Rogers ultimately moving to Chelsea for a British-record fee.

It is reported that Arsenal refused to match Chelsea on price with their fee going beyond their valuation of Rogers. Osimhen, approaching his prime, is a different type of attacking player and strikers would guarantee goals are among the most expensive assets on the market.

Arsenal spent £64m to land Viktor Gyokeres last summer but the Swede wasn't entirely convincing in his debut year at the Emirates. He was overlooked for the Champions League final and Arteta is ultimately keen on adding more firepower.

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