Old Napoli teammates Osimhen and Mertens reunited in Turkey – pictures | OneFootball

Victor Osimhen has been reunited with his friend and former Napoli teammate Dries Mertens after the Nigerian’s last-minute loan move to Galatasaray after the close of the Serie A transfer window.

Galatasaray shared images of Osimhen and Mertens training, smiling and laughing together during Okan Buruk’s training session on Thursday.

The 25-year-old had said he was particularly looking forward to connecting with Mertens again after his arrival in Istanbul.

Re-cap: Osimhen joins Galatasaray from Napoli

The former Capocannoniere joined Galatasaray on a last-minute loan deal at the beginning of September, having seen moves to both Chelsea and Al-Ahli collapse in spectacular fashion on the Italian deadline day.

The 25-year-old had been seeking a move away from Napoli over the summer, and did not feature in any of Antonio Conte’s pre-season friendlies.

As Al-Ahli eventually decided to sign England international Ivan Toney, and with Chelsea unable to reach an agreement on personal terms, Osimhen was left on Napoli’s books when the transfer deadline struck.

As Napoli were desperate to rid his wages from their accounts, they quickly agreed a deal with Galatasaray to send him to the Turkish Super Lig on a straight, season-long loan deal. Gala are covering the majority of the player’s wages for the season.

Napoli have retained the option to extend Osimhen’s contract by a further year, until the summer of 2027, which they feel will give them more bargaining power when it comes to negotiating a sale next summer.