Galatasaray are preparing for a leadership change at the top after the club confirmed that Mauro Icardi will no longer be part of their squad, with Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen now viewed as the leading candidate to take over the captaincy.
Osimhen tipped to succeed Icardi
- Super Eagles forward Victor Osimhen is expected to become Galatasaray’s new captain following Mauro Icardi’s departure.
- Galatasaray confirmed that Icardi has left the club after both sides were unable to agree on fresh contract terms.
- Icardi played a key role in Galatasaray’s Turkish Super Lig title runs in both the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons.
- Osimhen, who currently serves as vice-captain of the Super Eagles, has also contributed significantly to Galatasaray’s recent domestic success.
- With preparations underway for the new season, Osimhen is set to assume the captain’s armband as Galatasaray aim to continue their momentum.
Galatasaray disclose terms of Ugochukwu deal
- In a separate development, Galatasaray have officially published the financial conditions of Lesley Ugochukwu’s move from Burnley.
- Materials filed on Turkey’s Public Disclosure Platform (KAP) state that the club paid £3 million to take the midfielder on loan for the 2026/27 campaign.
- The loan agreement also contains a conditional purchase clause worth £22.5 million, which could be triggered if the player hits agreed performance benchmarks during the spell.
- Ugochukwu’s salary is set at €2.65 million per year while he is with Galatasaray.
- Eligible to represent Nigeria, the midfielder will be looking to make an impact during his loan period as Galatasaray prepare to defend their Turkish Super Lig title.
- Earlier, the former Chelsea player completed his second training session with Galatasaray, taking part alongside Victor Osimhen and several other teammates.
