๐ข๐๐ถ๐บ๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ง๐๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐โ๐ ๐ต๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ฒ๐๐-๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ
Reported by Weng Patrick Atokor | Journalist at Weng Global
Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen remains the highest-paid footballer in Turkey despite the arrival of Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah, who has signed a lucrative contract with Trabzonspor.
Salahโs move to the Turkish Super Lig has attracted huge attention after the former Liverpool forward agreed a two-year contract worth โฌ17 million per season, according to Reuters. The agreement also includes additional benefits, including a 20 per cent share of merchandise sales bearing his name and performance-related bonuses.
However, the new contract does not appear to be enough to displace Osimhen from the top of Turkeyโs football salary rankings.
The Nigerian strikerโs financial package at Galatasaray remains higher when his guaranteed salary, loyalty bonus and image-rights payment are considered together.
Galatasaray officially announced Osimhenโs permanent transfer from Napoli in July 2025 after the striker had spent the previous season on loan at the Istanbul club.
According to the Turkish champions, Osimhen signed a four-year contract beginning with the 2025-26 season. The agreement provides him with a net annual guaranteed salary of โฌ15 million, a โฌ1 million net loyalty bonus every season and โฌ5 million per season for image rights.
That means Osimhenโs published annual package can reach โฌ21 million per season, before considering any additional performance-related incentives that may apply.
Salahโs newly announced โฌ17 million annual package, meanwhile, puts him among the best-paid players in Turkish football but below Osimhenโs reported overall Galatasaray package.
๐ข๐๐ถ๐บ๐ต๐ฒ๐ปโ๐ โฌ๐ฎ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ
The difference between the two players becomes clearer when their contracts are broken down.
Osimhenโs Galatasaray agreement was not structured simply as a conventional salary. The clubโs official announcement separated his financial terms into three major components.
He receives โฌ15 million in net guaranteed wages each season.
He is also entitled to a โฌ1 million net loyalty bonus per season.
In addition, Galatasaray agreed to pay him โฌ5 million every season for image rights.
Combined, those figures amount to โฌ21 million annually.
The clubโs announcement also confirmed that the transfer itself cost Galatasaray โฌ75 million, with Napoli entitled to 10 per cent of any future profit from the playerโs sale.
The size of the deal underlines just how highly Galatasaray valued Osimhen after his outstanding loan campaign.
During the 2024-25 season, the Nigerian became one of the most influential players in Turkish football, helping Galatasaray win domestic silverware while establishing himself as one of the leagueโs most prolific attackers.
Galatasarayโs own records show that Osimhen scored 35 goals during his first season with the club, surpassing Mario Jardelโs previous record for the most goals scored by a foreign player in a single season for the Istanbul giants.
He scored 24 goals in 28 Turkish league appearances, while also finding the net six times in the UEFA Europa League and five times in the Turkish Cup.
His performances played a major role in Galatasarayโs successful campaign.
๐๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ข๐๐ถ๐บ๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฎ ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ด-๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐บ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ท๐ฒ๐ฐ๐
The decision to hand Osimhen a four-year contract demonstrated Galatasarayโs intention to build its attack around the Nigerian international.
The club did not simply bring him back after his successful loan spell. It committed โฌ75 million to complete one of the biggest transfers in its history.
The financial structure also reflects the player’s commercial importance.
The โฌ5 million image-rights payment means Osimhenโs value to Galatasaray extends beyond what he produces on the pitch. His international profile, Nigerian fan base and status as one of Africaโs leading football stars all contribute to his commercial appeal.
The striker has also become a major figure among Galatasaray supporters, further increasing his importance to the clubโs brand.
Galatasaray subsequently retained Osimhen as part of a squad built to compete domestically and in Europe. The clubโs official history records that it retained its championship core for the 2025-26 campaign while adding Osimhen and other high-profile players.
๐ฆ๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐ตโ๐ ๐ง๐๐ฟ๐ธ๐ถ๐๐ต ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐ด ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฒ
Salahโs arrival has nevertheless significantly changed the financial landscape of Turkish football.
The 34-year-old Egypt international left Liverpool after nine years at the Premier League club and completed a free transfer to Trabzonspor.
According to Reuters, he agreed a two-year contract worth โฌ17 million per season.
His agreement also contains a 20 per cent share of merchandise sold under his name, alongside performance-based bonuses.
The deal represents an enormous financial commitment from Trabzonspor and demonstrates the clubโs ambition to compete for major honours while raising its international profile.
Salah arrived in Turkey as one of the most recognisable African footballers in the world. During his Liverpool career, he scored 257 goals in 442 appearances and won two Premier League titles and a Champions League, according to Reuters.
His decision to join Trabzonspor rather than a Saudi Arabian club or another major European side therefore generated considerable interest.
For Turkish football, the transfer represents another major attraction for global audiences.
๐ฆ๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐ต ๐ถ๐ ๐ฐ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ, ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ถ๐บ๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ
On the headline annual salary figures, Salahโs โฌ17 million deal is enormous.
But Osimhenโs official Galatasaray package remains higher when all the guaranteed components disclosed by the club are included.
Osimhen: โฌ15 million salary + โฌ1 million loyalty bonus + โฌ5 million image rights = โฌ21 million annually.
Salah: โฌ17 million annual contract value, plus merchandise and performance-related benefits.
This means the Nigerian currently retains the advantage in terms of the publicly disclosed annual financial package.
Salary databases also place Osimhen at the top of Galatasarayโs wage structure. Capology estimates his fixed gross salary for the 2026-27 season at โฌ18.75 million annually, while stressing that its figures are estimates rather than official club disclosures.
Other salary-tracking data similarly rank Osimhen among the highest-paid players in the Turkish league.
However, comparisons between football contracts should always be treated carefully because clubs can structure agreements differently.
Some contracts include signing bonuses, image-rights payments, loyalty bonuses, performance incentives, commercial arrangements or tax-related benefits. As a result, a player’s basic salary does not necessarily represent the total value of his agreement.
That is particularly relevant in the comparison between Osimhen and Salah.
๐ง๐๐ผ ๐๐ณ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฝ
The arrival of Salah has created an unusual situation in Turkish football, with two of Africaโs biggest football stars now operating in the same league.
Osimhen represents Nigeria and is in the prime years of his career as a centre-forward.
Salah, meanwhile, brings years of Premier League and Champions League experience and arrives in Turkey after establishing himself as one of the most successful African players in European football.
Their presence is likely to increase international attention on the Super Lig.
For Osimhen, however, Salahโs arrival has not yet ended his financial supremacy.
The Nigerian remains the player with the highest publicly disclosed overall annual package in Turkish football, based on Galatasarayโs official terms.
๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ท๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ณ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ณ๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น๐น
The development is also significant beyond Turkey.
Osimhen and Salah are among the most prominent African footballers of their generation, and their financial standing reflects the growing commercial power of African stars in the global game.
Osimhenโs โฌ75 million transfer to Galatasaray was a major statement from the Turkish champions, while Salahโs decision to move to Trabzonspor has generated enormous international attention.
Both players are now expected to play central roles for their respective clubs.
Osimhen will continue to lead Galatasarayโs attack as the club seeks further domestic success and European progress.
Salah, meanwhile, begins a new chapter with Trabzonspor, where his experience and goalscoring ability will be crucial to the clubโs ambitions.
For now, the numbers leave Osimhen at the summit.
Salah may have arrived with a blockbuster โฌ17 million annual contract, but Osimhenโs officially announced โฌ15 million salary, โฌ1 million loyalty bonus and โฌ5 million image-rights payment give the Nigerian a total annual package of โฌ21 million.
Victor Osimhen therefore remains Turkeyโs highest-paid footballer based on the publicly disclosed value of his annual Galatasaray agreement, with Mohamed Salah close behind following his record-breaking move to Trabzonspor.
Sources: Reuters; Galatasaray official website; Capology; SalarySport; Trabzonspor official website.
