Istanbulspor deny rumors of Osimhen acquisition

Turkish second-division side Istanbulspor have dismissed reports linking Nigerian superstar Victor Osimhen with a potential takeover of the club, with their president confirming that no official approach has been received from the Galatasaray striker or his representatives, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The speculation emerged after Osimhen spoke during a livestream session with Nigerian influencer Carter Efe about his ambition to invest in football beyond his playing career, revealing plans to acquire a Turkish lower-league club and establish a partner team in the Nigeria Premier Football League as part of a development pathway for young Nigerian players to reach European football.

Several reports then published claims that Istanbulspor was the club Osimhen was going to invest in. However, according to Turkish publication Milliyet, the club president Ecmel Faik Sarialioglu was clear that nothing concrete had materialised.

“We’ve seen reports that Osimhen is going to buy Istanbulspor. But as the club president, I can confirm we haven’t received any official confirmation,” he said.

Osimhen’s vision, as outlined during the Carter Efe stream, is deeply personal. Having grown up in Lagos and navigated his own difficult path to professional football, the 27-year-old said he wants to create a structured system to make that journey easier for future generations, discovering talents at grassroots level in Nigeria, developing them locally and then funnelling them to Europe through a Turkish club before eventual transfers to bigger leagues.

Istanbulspor, founded in 1926 by students of Istanbul High School and one of the city’s oldest clubs, has experienced significant fluctuations in fortune over the decades, including relegation from the top flight in the 2004/05 season.

Its lower-profile status and historic identity would make it a potentially attractive acquisition for an investor seeking to reshape a club without the financial demands of Turkey’s established giants.