Arsenal's Tense Chase for Victor Osimhen: Wage Cut Demands

Arsenal’s pursuit of Victor Osimhen has reached a hard-nosed stage: they want the striker, but only on their terms.

The North London club have held direct talks over a deal for the Galatasaray forward, yet are insisting the Nigeria international slashes his wage demands before any move to the Emirates can happen, according to FootMercato.

Mikel Arteta is still hunting for a marquee centre-forward as the window ticks towards its close. His attempt to lure Julian Alvarez away from Atletico Madrid has stalled, with the Argentine said to favour Barcelona over a return to the Premier League. That failure has sharpened Arsenal’s focus on Osimhen – but not enough to tear up their wage structure.

Osimhen, 27, currently earns more than €20m (£17.1m) per year at Galatasaray. Arsenal are refusing to match that figure, leaving the entire operation hinging on whether the striker is ready to sacrifice a chunk of his current salary to lead the line in North London.

And that’s only half the battle.

Galatasaray president Dursun Ozbek has been firm: Osimhen is not for sale. The club backed up that stance earlier this month by knocking back a huge €130m (£111m) offer from Al-Hilal, a bid that underlined just how high the Turkish champions value their star forward.

Al-Hilal, rebuffed in their attempt to land the Nigerian, quickly pivoted to Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins. They tested Villa’s resolve with a £45m approach – and were rejected again. Two big bids, two firm refusals. The message from Europe’s clubs this summer has been clear: elite strikers are not leaving easily.

Through all of this noise, Osimhen has simply kept scoring.

He has started the season in Turkey in ruthless form, hitting two goals and an assist in Galatasaray’s 4-0 away demolition of Erzurumspor on Friday. Before that, he struck twice in a 2-2 draw with Corum FK, underlining exactly why top clubs are circling and why Galatasaray feel emboldened to dig in.

For now, he remains the spearhead of the Turkish champions’ attack, expected to continue leading the line while Arsenal wait, watch, and hope his stance softens.

The clock is ticking. Does Osimhen give up a lucrative contract for a shot at the Premier League, or do Arsenal walk away and face another season without the striker Arteta has been chasing for years?