After falling out with Napoli boss Antonio Conte last summer, the Nigerian forward was sent on a season-long loan to Turkish giants Galatasaray. And Osimhen didn’t just make headlines — he broke records. The 26-year-old scored a career-best 36 goals in all competitions, with 25 coming in the Turkish Super Lig, making him one of the most lethal finishers in Europe this season.

Galatasaray fans are now hailing him as their saviour. Without his goals, the club would have lost their league title to Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce, who finished 11 points behind.

While critics may argue that the Turkish league isn’t as tough as England’s Premier League or Italy’s Serie A, Osimhen’s goal record speaks for itself. He has now scored 84 goals in his last three seasons, including 26 in the 2022/23 Serie A campaign when he helped Napoli lift their first Scudetto since 1990.

Before his time in Italy, Osimhen impressed at Lille in France, scoring 18 goals in his only season there. That’s six straight seasons of consistently finding the back of the net across top European leagues — something Manchester United have been sorely missing.

United missed the chance to sign him two years ago and instead opted for Rasmus Hojlund. While the young Dane shows potential, Osimhen is on a different level — older, stronger, more experienced, and with two league titles under his belt.

United, who’ve ended the last two seasons with negative goal differences, can’t afford to gamble again this summer. Rumoured targets like Liam Delap carry too much risk. In contrast, Osimhen is a proven striker who guarantees goals, and he’s shown he can do it in any league he plays in.

There’s just one catch: no European football at Old Trafford next season. That could be a stumbling block for players of Osimhen’s calibre. The striker has Champions League experience with Napoli and played in the Europa League with Galatasaray this term, where he scored six times.

Still, Osimhen’s Premier League dream might outweigh that short-term sacrifice. Back in March 2023, he said:

“A lot of people worldwide consider the Premier League as the best and the strongest league… I’m working so hard to make sure I achieve my dream of playing in the Premier League someday.”

That dream could finally become reality — if United are bold enough.

Reports suggest that if United were to sell Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho this summer, the funds could be enough to launch a serious bid for Osimhen. It would be a major statement from United’s board and from new manager Ruben Amorim.

For a club in desperate need of a regular goal-scorer, this is the kind of transfer that could define their next season — and possibly their future.