Having fired Napoli to their first Scudetto since the days of Diego Maradona, it was no wonder that the Nigerian had become one of the hottest attacking properties on the planet.
However, in this age of Financial Fair Play, and with Profit and Sustainability Rules being administered, Osimhen and his agent's apparent attempts to extract maximum financial value from any deal ultimately left them with egg on their faces.
A move to Chelsea last summer appeared to be on the cards for a striker that had managed a respectable if not brilliant 15 goals and three assists in an injury-hit 25-appearance season.
After plundering 26 goals in 32 Serie A matches in the Serie A title-winning campaign, trying to still ensure they would receive top dollar from interested parties a year later when form and goalscoring pedigree had dipped significantly wasn't really the best idea.
Osimhen had nowhere to go until Galatasaray came in for him
The Blues eventually pulled out after a pig's ear was made of negotiations, and with nowhere else to go, Osimhen was saved from a season on the bench by interest from Galatasaray.
His 2024/25 campaign in Turkey has seen a remarkable return to form, with the player scoring 31 goals and providing six assists in 34 league and cup games.
Notwithstanding that the Super Lig isn't the strongest, Osimhen has still fulfilled his role with aplomb and, once again, has made himself a coveted proposition.
Saudi giants, Al Hilal, had recently agreed to pay his much-reduced release clause of €75m/£63.2m and also hand the player a bumper €30m per season salary.
Reports suggest the Nigerian hit-man has turned them down flat as he believes that he's still good enough to mix it with the big boys in European football.
Saudi league rebuffed again
It's the second time that a move to the Saudi Pro League has been rebuffed.
“Osimhen is not a package to be shipped far away to make room for new prophets. Victor was elected African Footballer of the Year, eighth at the Ballon d'Or, he still has so much to do in Europe," ex-agent, Roberto Calenda, had said at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.
Other potential suitors now have the chance to land a player who has also been talked up recently by Nigerian national team manager, Eric Chelle.
"Victor is, for me, the best striker in the world," he said. "For him it is difficult to come for this (international) game because he played a season with a lot of pressure.
"The reality is there is a transfer window. During this time, a player like him is not focused at 100%.
"Maybe a club like Manchester United or maybe Chelsea, Barcelona or Real Madrid will come in for him. So he needs to be focused on that."
A hard worker on and off the ball
60.3% shooting accuracy coupled with an encouraging 31.3% shot conversion rate is evidence of a player who has found his form again at just the right time, though a 66.6% passing accuracy is his worst of the past few seasons and will have to be improved if he wants to become a success at a new club.
One area to his game which perhaps isn't talked about enough is the hard work that he puts in, both on and off the ball.
For example, of the one-on-one duels that he's been involved in, both aerially and on the ground, he's won the majority (449 attempted, 254 successful).
His upper body strength has long been a feature of his play and despite a relatively slender frame, trying to strong-arm Osimhen off the ball isn't as easy as it might first appear.
Why aren't clubs queueing up for Osimhen?
With an xG of 24.3 last season too, the striker clearly remains someone that knows where the goal is, so the question is why aren't there a plethora of clubs queuing up for him?
Could it be that the full financial package is still too prohibitive? Is it that the difficulties in negotiations with Napoli has made others think twice about dealing with those who Italian sports journalist, Daniele Verri, called "very stubborn people."
Or is it that despite a stated aim of playing in the Premier League, English clubs are reticent to go all in because of Osimhen's previous injury problems and loss of form at the very highest level?
Perhaps it's a mixture of each of those trains of thought.
What does seem clear at this stage is that the striker won't be wearing the jerseys of either Galatasaray or Napoli in 2025/26, and the quicker that his situation can be sorted out, the better for all concerned.
