Sports
Arsenal To Drag With Juventus For Victor Osimhen’s Signature
Victor Osimhen’s stay in Istanbul could prove brief, less than a year after his headline move to Galatasaray, with Arsenal and Juventus both monitoring the Nigerian striker’s situation closely.
Victor Osimhen, 27, joined the Turkish giants in a €75 million deal and is contracted until 2029, but growing interest from Europe’s elite has raised fresh questions about how long he will remain in Turkey.
At Arsenal, recruitment plans are believed to prioritise Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez. The Argentine, who joined Atletico from Manchester City in 2024, remains under contract until 2030, making any potential transfer complex and expensive. With that in mind, Osimhen has reportedly been identified as a leading alternative, especially if Alvarez proves unattainable.
Sources suggest Galatasaray are reluctant to entertain any sale in 2026, yet a bid in the region of €100 million could trigger serious negotiations, particularly if Osimhen expresses a desire to return to a top European league. The striker is understood to be open to a Premier League move, having already cemented his legacy in Serie A with Napoli.
Juventus are also keeping a close eye on developments. Reports from Italy indicate the Turin club is impressed by Galatasaray’s financial commitment to Osimhen and could make a move if the opportunity arises.
Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk recently addressed the financial scale of the deal, saying: “Galatasaray’s transfer fees and salaries have been going up since last year. With Osimhen’s transfer fee and salary, you could probably put together a full team.
“We need to take these things into account. We brought in some very important players for the team, such as Singo, Ugurcan, Sane, and Ilkay. Every team has a budget, and when you set up budgets at the start of the season, you need to follow that budget closely.”
Those comments have reportedly resonated at Juventus, where head coach Luciano Spalletti is eager to reunite with the striker he guided to Napoli’s historic Serie A title in 2023.
Under Spalletti, Osimhen enjoyed a career-defining campaign, scoring 26 league goals to claim the Golden Boot and lead Napoli to their first Scudetto in decades.
With Juventus planning a potential attacking overhaul and Dusan Vlahovic’s future uncertain, Osimhen is viewed as a statement signing who could spearhead a new era in Turin.
On the pitch, the former Lille forward continues to justify the attention. He has registered 14 goals and one assist in 20 appearances across all competitions for Galatasaray.
At the international level, he scored four goals and provided two assists in six matches at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), earning a place in the Team of the Tournament after helping Nigeria secure a bronze medal.
Former Liverpool forward, Mohamed Salah, has been banned from driving for six months after failing to identify the person driving his Rolls-Royce when it was caught speeding in Cheshire, United Kingdom.
Court documents reported by the BBC showed that the vehicle was recorded travelling at 36mph in a 30mph zone in Wilmslow on March 27.
Salah, 34, failed to respond to a notice issued by Cheshire Constabulary requiring information about the driver and did not enter a plea.
He was prosecuted at Warrington Combined Court under the Single Justice Procedure, which allows magistrates to deal with certain cases without a public hearing.
A court spokeswoman said Salah was convicted of failing to provide information relating to the identification of the driver of the vehicle.
He was disqualified from driving for six months and ordered to pay £1,044.
The incident occurred three days after Salah announced his departure from Liverpool at the end of the 2025/26 season, bringing his nine-year spell at the club to an end.
Liverpool had described Salah as oneof the greatest players in the club’s history when it announced his departure on March 24.
Salah scored 257 goals in 442 appearances for Liverpool before leaving the club for Turkish side Trabzonspor after the 2025/26 season.
He currently plays for Trabzonspor in Turkey.
Manchester City moved three points clear at the top of the Premier League after surviving a thrilling Sunderland fightback to claim a 5-3 victory at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
City capitalised on Arsenal’s shock 3-0 defeat to Brighton but were pushed all the way by a Sunderland side that refused to surrender despite falling behind three times.
Enzo Fernandez opened the scoring with his first Premier League goal since his £125 million ($167 million) move from Chelsea, curling a free-kick that caught Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs off guard at his near post.
Sunderland, who had defeated AZ Alkmaar in Europe during the week, showed no signs of fatigue as Brian Brobbey levelled after converting Enzo Le Fee’s pass.
Rayan Cherki restored City’s lead with a composed finish, only for Brobbey to respond again four minutes later after a slick Sunderland move.
Antoine Semenyo put the hosts back in front before half-time and appeared to have settled the contest when he struck again with an accurate left-footed finish shortly before the hour mark.
But Brobbey completed his hat-trick when Nilson Angulo raced onto a ball over the top and beat Gianluigi Donnarumma before setting up the Sunderland striker.
City were forced to withstand further pressure, with Donnarumma involved in a couple of nervous moments and Ruben Dias clearing the ball off his own goal line.
Erling Haaland eventually ended Sunderland’s hopes of a comeback by adding City’s fifth goal, while also maintaining his record of scoring against every Premier League opponent he has faced.
The victory extended Enzo Maresca’s perfect start as he takes on the daunting task of succeeding Pep Guardiola as Manchester City manager.
Liverpool Edge Bournemouth
Liverpool also secured an important victory, beating Bournemouth 1-0 on Andoni Iraola’s return to the south coast.
Iraola received a warm reception from Bournemouth supporters after previously guiding the Cherries into Europe for the first time in the club’s history.
His success eventually earned him the Liverpool job, but his start at Anfield has been inconsistent, making Saturday’s victory particularly valuable before the three-week international break.
Liverpool were far from their best but found the decisive breakthrough when Cody Gakpo’s cross fell perfectly for Alexander Isak, who fired home his fourth goal of the season.
The result lifted Liverpool to sixth place, just one point behind third-placed Brighton.
Leeds Held by Palace
Leeds missed the opportunity to climb into third place after being held to a goalless draw by Crystal Palace at home.
Palace thought they had taken the lead in the second half when Tyrick Mitchell found the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside during the build-up.
United Under Pressure
Manchester United will look to ease the pressure on manager Michael Carrick when they travel to bottom-of-the-table Fulham.
United have collected just four points from their opening four league matches and were knocked out of the League Cup by Brighton in midweek after surrendering a 2-0 lead at home for the first time in 50 years.
Defending champions Rangers, Inter Lagos and Abia Warriors recorded away wins on Matchday Four of the Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, on Sunday.
Inter Lagos stunned nine-time champions Enyimba 1-0 in Aba.
Ezekiel Moses scored the decisive goal for the visitors in the 18th minute.
Rangers beat Kun Khalifat FC 4-2 in the Oriental derby at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri.
Preye Seikorowei, Ayuba Umar, Temitope Folarin and Waheed Adebayo scored for Rangers, while Chimobi Igwilo netted twice for Kun Khalifat.
Abia Warriors recorded their first win of the season, edging past Sporting Lagos 2-0 at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan.
Ikoi Etta and Emeka Obioma got the goals for Imama Amapakabo’s side.
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