Exclusive Alfredo Pedulla column: New Osimhen-Galatasaray talks, Juve strongly interested in Man Utd star & more

The Osimhen-Galatasaray saga has been dragging along day by day. We’ve been reporting on every development, but frankly, it’s time to put things in black and white and bring it to a close.

My latest update: Galatasaray had another direct contact with Napoli late yesterday morning. They indicated that they’re preparing to present a letter of credit rather than a standard back guarantee in the coming hours, possibly even today.

It’s clear that this isn’t a simple task. It’s a complex operation that takes time. But Galatasaray reiterated that they’re in direct contact with banks to try to reach an agreement.

Napoli wants a figure as close as possible to €50m, plus an additional €25m add-ons to be paid by no later than 2026. The club might settle for a lower fixed fee, but only if the deal is wrapped up within a year. They’ll remain firm on this point. Small instalments and guaranteed payments: Galatasaray are still working, knowing that Osimhen is waiting.

Napoli’s dream was Darwin Nunez, an international-level striker who could help the club take the next step. The player was entirely on board; he waited for nearly 70 days for Napoli, having placed them at the top of his list. Napoli had also long considered him the first choice. There would have been no issue covering his salary exceeding €5m pls bonuses per season. Negotiations continued just a couple of days ago.

As early as last weekend, Napoli, who had always considered Lorenzo Lucca as their Plan B, began seriously evaluating the Udinese striker. It’s no coincidence that contact with Torino for Vanja Milinkovic-Savic resumed unexpectedly, while the Dan Ndoye option remains on the table. A direct sign that Napoli are ready to redistribute the money originally allocated for the Liverpool striker toward other targets. Napoli had made an initial offer worth €42m to the Reds, which brought them close to reaching €50m, but then changed strategy, opting for the second name on their list.

Now, almost 70 days later, Nunez can decide his future after seriously entertaining the dream of wearing a Napoli shirt and prioritising them above all. There will be no shortage of offers. He has already been approached by Saudi clubs (including Al-Hilal, as previously reported), and he’ll decide with his representatives and, potentially, with approval from his current club.

As for Lucca, the striker is ready to join Napoli. Medical tests are scheduled for today. Napoli will pay around €35m for the transfer package. It’s an initial loan deal with an obligation to buy. They also secured a discount on the so-called ‘easy’ bonuses. Let me explain: Udinese had asked for €40m, including easily achievable bonuses. Napoli requested that the bonuses be tied to more challenging targets. And if they end up paying them, they’d gladly do so, as it’d mean they’ve achieved important targets over the season.

We can say Udinese met Napoli halfway: a guaranteed €35m fee, more complex bonuses, and best of luck to everyone.

Dusan Vlahovic, Jadon Sancho and more Juventus transfer updates

Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic is still waiting to know his future and possibly, possibly, he doesn’t even know it himself today. We’re in a deadlock, but let’s be clear. It would be unfair to judge him by last season’s performances. He lacked the coach’s trust, spent a lot of time on the bench and, from January onwards, he became a benchwarmer. When you are no longer the first choice, confidence drops, so does your performance.

There’s little doubt that he’s a talented striker, anyone who says otherwise is biased. What’s needed now is some honest self-reflection to find a solution and prevent next season from becoming a painful repeat, for everyone, and especially for Vlahovic. The Serbian can’t afford another 10 months on the sidelines and Juventus would be burdened by an expensive player they no longer consider essential.

One club in Europe, more than others, could really use a striker like him: Milan. That would mean a reunion between the striker and Max Allegri, a coach who had firmly pushed to sign him at Juventus and convinced former Juventus President Andrea Agnelli to make one of the club’s biggest investments to secure him from Fiorentina in 2022.

Milan would get the specialist they need and Allegri could reignite his talent. Dusan would finally find a prestigious destination after rejecting other projects deemed unworthy. The obvious question is: Can the deal really happen? With a bit of common sense, yes. Perhaps by giving up part of his hefty salary, accepting a €4m-€5m severance pay and letting Milan take on a new deal worth €6m-€7m per season. The best way to say: ‘We used to love each other, now we don’t, so let’s separate and bury the resentment.’

The ball is in Vlahovic’s court; it’s primarily up to him, with the hope that, for everyone’s sake, he doesn’t send it into the stands.

One of our longest-running sagas, back to last summer, is Jadon Sancho’s possible move to Juventus. The winger has ended his loan spell at Chelsea and still has a year left on his contract with Manchester United. A solution that suits all parties is being explored. Juventus had been tracking Sancho for some time and now the conditions are in place for the deal to potentially materialise in the coming weeks.

To clarify, Juventus remain strongly interested in Sancho regardless of Conceicao’s situation. They clearly intend to sign two attacking wingers. Juventus are confident because they continue to have the player’s backing. He’s less than a year left in his contract, but since surprises can come anytime, Juventus want to act quickly to prevent others from swooping in.

In recent hours, Juventus offered £15m (circa €17m), despite Manchester United’s €25m asking price. We reiterate that Juventus have a full agreement in place with Sancho and his representatives. Now they need to finalise things with Manchester United.

Negotiations are progressing well. The offer might already be enough. Sancho has once again reiterated his desire to wait for Juventus and has urged them to speed things up. Manchester United are cooperating and want to resolve the situation. They’ve already backed away from the original €25m evaluation. Of course, it’s not all offer, so caution is still needed but Juventus are picking up pace, heading straight toward Sancho.

The post Exclusive Alfredo Pedulla column: New Osimhen-Galatasaray talks, Juve strongly interested in Man Utd star & more appeared first on CaughtOffside.