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Galatasaray has rejected claims that Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen went unpaid for two months, with a senior club official saying the player’s wages were paid on schedule and pointing to the club’s recent debt-free clearance from UEFA.
The Nigerian forward, who earns a net annual salary of €21 million ($24.74 million), was the subject of social media rumors claiming he had not been paid for two months following Galatasaray’s 2–0 away loss to Konyaspor this weekend, a match he did not feature in.
Galatasaray Vice Chairman Abdullah Kavukcu dismissed those claims, saying the club faced no financial difficulties. Kavukcu explained that Galatasaray pays players on a structured timeline that he said was more favorable than typical European standards.
"In Europe, player payments are made after three months. In our case, January’s payment is made in February, and February’s payment is made in March. In other words, we are ahead of Europe," he told Turkish daily Sabah.
He added that the club had adopted a policy of paying performance bonuses without delay. "We never accumulate match bonuses; we deposit them into players’ accounts immediately," Kavukcu said.
Osimhen, 26, remains one of Galatasaray’s central figures since his €75 million transfer in summer 2025, a club-record deal that underscored his role as the team’s leading attacking presence. His contract includes €15 million in annual salary, a €1 million loyalty bonus, and €5 million in image rights payments, making him one of the highest-paid players in the squad and in Turkish sports history.
Since joining the Istanbul club, Galatasaray has played 13 matches without the Nigerian striker and won only six of those games, reflecting a drop in consistency compared with matches in which he featured.
Following the unexpected loss that ended Galatasaray’s 10-match unbeaten league run, head coach Okan Buruk said the Nigerian star was left out as a precaution due to knee pain he experienced during the club’s 5–2 home win over Juventus in the UEFA Champions League playoff round.
"We had played him before with similar pain, but when he said the pain was more severe today, we did not take the risk," Buruk said.
Osimhen later returned to training with the squad ahead of the second leg against Juventus in Italy on Wednesday, easing concerns over his availability.
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