Victor Osimhen looks to be coming to the boil just in time for mid-year transfer talk to be intensifying, with the Galatasaray striker netting a stunning hat trick to extend his fine goal-scoring run and consolidate the Istanbul giants' place atop the Turkish Super Lig.
Omar Marmoush, the latest African superstar to have moved to the Premier League, meanwhile, demonstrated why he could drag Manchester City back to the pinnacle of English football next season with a fine display against Brighton & Hove Albion; however, it was a weekend to forget for his Egyptian compatriot Mohamed Salah, who saw another major cup clash pass him by.
Osimhen's move to Turkey took the Nigeria striker away from some of the most high-profile storylines of Europe's major leagues, and Galatasaray are no longer in the continental competitions after their UEFA Europa League exit at the hands of AZ Alkmaar.
However, there ought not be any doubts that the 26-year-old doesn't remain among the finest strikers in the world, as he maintains his sensational form in the Super Lig.
The goals have flown readily for Osimhen in Turkey, after he initially required four matches to break his duck for Cimbom.
Heading into the weekend game at home to Antalyaspor, the on-loan Napoli striker had registered 17 goals in 20 league outings for Gala -- with a further six in seven Europa League matches.
Perhaps it would have been a different story for the Turkish giants in the Europa League had Osimhen not been suspended for the first leg against AZ -- a 4-1 defeat in the Netherlands -- but continental disappointment hardly seemed to knock him off his stride domestically.
Having scored six in his previous five fixtures before the weekend, Osimhen registered his first hat trick in Turkish football -- and his first since Napoli's 6-1 evisceration of Sassuolo in February 2024 -- when he scored three goals in Gala's 4-0 demolition of Antalyaspor.
The Super Eagles star opened the scoring on the half-hour mark, finishing from close range after meeting Álvaro Morata's cut-back at the post. The Spaniard added another in the 45th minute from the penalty spot.
Osimhen added his second goal in the second minute of stoppage time with another close-range finish, as the visiting backline collapsed, before rounding off the rout with his third seven minutes after the break -- a right-footed effort across Kenan Piric's goal after Yunus Akgün had picked him out.
Osimhen heads into the international break atop the Super Lig scoring charts, having registered two goals more than his nearest rival -- Istanbul Basaksehir's Krzysztof Piatek -- despite playing four fewer matches. He could have had another against Antalyaspor, only to hit the woodwork.
"We need to congratulate the team and then our fans," Osimhen said after the match. "We definitely did a great job from the first whistle to the last, and everyone tried their best. Our team is built on love and we're all brothers, not only on the field but also off it."
The victory takes Gala to 71 points after 27 matches, nine ahead of fierce rivals Fenerbahce having played a game more.
The burgeoning understanding between Osimhen and Morata -- a mid-season signing from AC Milan -- has given Galatasaray another dimension to their attack, and expect the duo to develop as a pairing before the season's end.
"Morata is a very important and a great player," Osimhen said of his new strike partner. "We showed mutual respect to each other. He's a name who has proven himself with what he's done in football. We'll try to continue in this way, and we want to continue by building on this momentum."
Some reports have linked the striker with a permanent move to Galatasaray at the season's end, but his immense impact in Istanbul means they may struggle to keep hold of their star attraction given the plethora of European heavyweights who'd surely be desperate for a striker of Osimhen's potency.
Italian source Tutto Mercato believes that Juventus are keen to take the striker back to Italy, although the Old Lady face competition from Manchester United and Arsenal among others. Paris Saint-Germain are also understood to have the Serie A-winning frontman on their radar as they seek a commanding centre-forward for Luis Enrique's bright young side.
Chelsea and Liverpool are just two of the other giants likely to be in the market for a striker once the season ends.
Osimhen's international teammate William Troost-Ekong has talked up the prospect of the striker finding his way to the Premier League this summer.
"I know he's a Chelsea fan, but I also know he's had talks with all the top teams," the Saudi Arabia-based Nigeria captain said on the Weekend Sports Breakfast show on talkSPORT.
"It's up to him what he chooses. He'll fit into every team. I know Liverpool have spoken about getting a new striker next season. We'll see.
"I'm also reading, like everyone else is, that he has a clause this summer. When he went to Galatasaray I think it worked out amazingly for him. I couldn't see him playing there for another season, or anywhere else but the Premier League next season."
The prospect of major silverware with Galatasaray -- and a first trophy since the 2023 Scudetto with Napoli -- should ensure Osimhen rediscovers the trajectory his talent once put him on, and we can expect him -- once again -- to be among the main talking points of the off-season transfer window.
Could he rival Salah or Marmoush for the status of Africa's outstanding player in the Premier League next season?
Marmoush is quickly proving to be an astute January purchase for Manchester City, starting to repay the €70m plus €5m add-ons that the club paid to sign him from Eintracht Frankfurt.
Against Brighton, he ended his four-game goalless streak when he restored City's lead late in the first half only for the two sides to share the points after Abdukodir Khusanov's own goal.
Marmoush had earlier 'earned' the penalty from which Erling Haaland had opened the scoring, being scythed down by Adam Webster after darting into the penalty area.x
His interplay with Savinho was one of the bright spots of City's attacking play, almost leading to the opener, although the Brazilian was unable to test Bart Verbruggen while under pressure from Jan Paul Van Hecke.
Unlike his profligate teammates, Marmoush had both accuracy and range in his shooting -- adding City's second goal with an effort from range that crashed off Verbruggen's post and into the back of the Brighton net.
"As an attacker, scoring goals makes it easier [to fit in]," Marmoush said after the match. "But even without the goals, the players have made me feel at home, the staff also. This club has the feeling of a big family and I'm happy to be here. It's always a challenge coming into a new team, but much easier coming into a club like this, with the quality of the players on the pitch and the coach of course."
Marmoush could yet end the season with domestic cup glory -- City face AFC Bournemouth in the FA Cup quarterfinals -- but Salah has 'only' the Premier League to target in the remainder of the campaign after Liverpool followed their UEFA Champions League exit at the hands of PSG with Sunday's Carabao Cup final defeat by Newcastle United.
This was a thoroughly disappointing outing from Salah; so often a big-game player for the Reds, he was anonymous on the right flank, struggling to see much of the ball, let alone impose himself, and registered just once touch in the opposition box as Liverpool tried to find a way back into the context after the break.
Premier League glory should still come Salah's way this season -- Liverpool remain 12 points clear at the top of the table -- but outside the top flight, the 32-year-old has ultimately failed to inspire the Reds over the line against either PSG or Newcastle.