Turkey's top clubs are trying to raise the Super Lig's global standing with headline-grabbing signings, and Victor Osimhen has become one of the clearest examples of that push. After late moves to Al-Ahli and Chelsea collapsed in September 2024 and Napoli moved on without him, the striker became part of Turkey's wider attempt to attract elite-level talent. His reported weekly pay of about £300,000 shows the scale of the financial commitment involved.
The spending spree is not limited to one player. Big names including Ederson, N'Golo Kante, Leroy Sane, Ilkay Gundogan, Leandro Trossard and Mason Greenwood are all linked with Istanbul's growing football pull. But the debate around a possible Mohamed Salah move to Besiktas highlights the other side of that ambition, with the idea that a superstar salary and expectations can become as much a burden as a boost.
Turkey's football project is also being sold through image and lifestyle as much as results. References to Galatasaray's private island and even a restaurant known for serving ribs coated in gold help paint a picture of glamour around the league's biggest clubs and the city itself. That polished image is part of the broader effort to make Turkish football feel bigger, richer and harder for leading players to ignore.
Yet the financial backdrop remains a major concern. The title race and transfer buzz sit alongside heavy losses, with clubs said to have dropped almost £500 million over four years. That gap between ambition and sustainability is central to the story of Turkey's bid to become a football giant.
