Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk has openly acknowledged the financial scale involved in signing Victor Osimhen, admitting that the striker's transfer fee and salary alone could be enough to assemble an entire squad.

After a breakout season on loan from Napoli, the reigning Turkish Super Lig champions acquired the former African Footballer of the Year on a permanent deal last summer, despite the striker being on the radar of Premier League and Saudi clubs.

Osimhen brought his five-year spell at Napoli to an end after Galatasaray triggered his €75 million release clause.

The 2015 Fifa U17 World Cup winner earns a guaranteed annual salary of €15 million, in addition to a net loyalty bonus of €1 million per season and €5 million per year in image rights.

With Osimhen committing to a four-year contract, the total financial outlay for Galatasaray to secure his return to Istanbul is estimated at €159 million over the duration of the deal.

Speaking after Galatasaray's 3-1 win over Istanbulspor in the Turkish Cup, Buruk pointed to the steady rise in the club's spending on fees and salaries over the past year, while stressing the importance of financial discipline.

"Galatasaray's transfer fees and salaries have been increasing since last year. With Osimhen's transfer fee and salary, you could probably build a complete team. We need to take these things into account," Okan Buruk was quoted as saying by Galatasaray's official webpage. 

"We added really important players to the squad like Singo, Uğurcan, Sané, and İlkay. Every team has a budget, and when you create budgets at the beginning of the season, you need to stick within that budget."

With the upcoming Super Lig clash against Rizespor in mind, Buruk chose to rest Osimhen for Wednesday’s fixture against Istanbulspor.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel