Explosive swap deal: Arsenal close in on Osimhen in exchange for two players

Will the deal go through..

Arsenal have received a major boost in the race to sign Victor Osimhen, after entering into direct negotiations with Galatasaray over the Nigerian striker.

British newspaper "Express" revealed that Osimhen's name featured strongly during the two clubs' talks. The Turkish side have expressed their interest in signing Arsenal duo Gabriel Martinelli and Ethan Nwaneri, opening the door to a potential swap deal.

Arsenal had placed Osimhen among their long-standing targets to strengthen their attack in the quest to retain the Premier League title, although Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez remains ahead of him on the list of priorities.

The striker has been at Galatasaray since his loan move from Napoli in 2024, before joining permanently last summer for 75 million euros. He has scored 59 goals in 74 matches, won the Turkish league title twice, and finished last season with 22 goals in 33 matches.

Osimhen has never played in the Premier League, but he has long dreamed of a move to England. "The Premier League is the strongest in the world, and I am doing my utmost to achieve my dream of playing there one day," he said in 2023.

In return, Galatasaray have tabled an offer of 38 million pounds sterling for Martinelli, who scored just one league goal during Arsenal's title-winning season. He has one year remaining on his contract and faces strong competition from new arrival Christos Tzolis.

Nwaneri, meanwhile, returned from an unsuccessful loan spell with Marseille in the second half of last season. He managed only 11 matches after a promising start with a goal on his debut, but a change of coach cut his opportunities.