Liverpool will come up against Victor Osimhen again this week, with the Galatasaray star having found himself in talks over a move to Anfield after talks with Jurgen Klopp
James Findlater Content Editor
11:45, 09 Mar 2026
Victor Osimhen of Galatasaray SK is in action after the Trendyol Super League match between Besiktas and Galatasaray at Tupras Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 7, 2026
Liverpool will face Victor Osimhen and Galatasaray in the Champions League again(Image: Getty Images)
Liverpool will be aiming to keep Victor Osimhen quiet as the Galatasaray star faces something of an awkward reunion, having previously been close to a move to Anfield.
The Reds head back to Istanbul this week for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday. Arne Slot and his side will be hoping for a better result this time around, having fallen to a 1-0 defeat on their last visit to the Turkish capital during the league phase back in September.
Osimhen scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot on that occasion, adding more salt to the wounds of a Liverpool side that was really beginning to struggle at that stage.
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Seeing Osimhen score the winning goal may have been particularly galling for those in charge at Anfield. The Nigeria international has been no stranger to links with a move to Merseyside - even last year, there were suggestions that he was on the Reds’ radar.
It was in 2020 though that a transfer really looked to have been on the cards. Back then, Liverpool was said to have been in the running to sign Osimhen, who had been catching the eye at Lille with 18 goals in 38 appearances.
The Reds faced competition from Napoli though, and despite Jurgen Klopp’s best efforts, it was the Italian side that would win the race for his signature. According to Giandomenico Costi, who previously worked alongside Napoli director Cristiano Giuntoli, every effort was put in to deny the former Liverpool boss.
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“The signing of Osimhen is Giuntoli’s biggest masterpiece,” Costi told Italian outlet Tuttosport in 2023 (h/t Football Italia). “He [Osimhen] was locked in a hotel for three days.
“Giuntoli knew Liverpool were interested, and Jurgen Klopp had made his move, but Cristiano spoke to Osimhen in the hotel for three days until he convinced him to accept Napoli. He was full of energy. Giuntoli is a director who would call you 100 times a day. He knew Victor very well, he had even followed him at Charleroi.”
Osimhen’s relationship with Napoli would become fraught over the subsequent years though, leading to his eventual departure last summer after spending the previous season on loan at Galatasaray.
Victor Osimhen scores a penalty for Galatasaray against Liverpool
Victor Osimhen scored the only goal of the game when Galatasaray and Liverpool last met(Image: Getty Images)
He has continued his impressive form in Istanbul, and has already been a thorn in Liverpool's side this season, although the 27-year-old has admitted he isn't looking forward to meeting the Reds again.
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"I mean to be honest with you, meeting Liverpool now is going to be like some sort of revenge," Osimhen said before the last-16 draw. "Anyone we meet now... I wouldn’t say much but I would like to escape Liverpool."
Osimhen added: "If you want to win, you also have to play the big dogs and make a statement for yourself.
"We’ve met Liverpool, but we haven’t played at Anfield. If we meet them, it’s going to be an amazing game. I think we’re up to the task, it’s not going to be easy, of course, but we have fight in us."