Galatasaray have reportedly explored a move for Ricardo Pepi, but the Turkish giants face a difficult task in trying to prise the American striker away from PSV Eindhoven.

According to PSV watcher Rik Elfrink of Eindhovens Dagblad, Pepi has no desire to leave Eindhoven at this stage. The 23-year-old is instead determined to remain with the Dutch champions and establish himself as their first-choice striker.

“Pepi himself would like to have a big season here, and the amount ‘Gala’ has in mind (25-30 mln.) is too low. For now, not an option,” Elfrink wrote, as relayed by PSV Inside.

Pepi's position is an important factor in the situation. After spending time behind Luuk de Jong and dealing with injury problems, the United States international now wants the opportunity to put together a full season at the heart of PSV's attack.

He has already shown his goalscoring ability in Eindhoven, scoring 27 goals in 2,105 minutes across the last two seasons.

The striker is under contract with PSV until 2030, leaving the club in a strong position regarding his future.

Galatasaray's reported budget of €25-30 million is therefore not enough to persuade PSV to sell, especially with Pepi himself keen to stay.

The interest could be linked to uncertainty surrounding Victor Osimhen's future in Istanbul. Galatasaray have reportedly received a €130 million offer from Al-Hilal for the Nigeria international, although the Turkish club are not prepared to let their striker leave at this stage.

Pepi could therefore have emerged as a potential alternative should Galatasaray eventually need to replace Osimhen.

For now, however, there appears to be little room for optimism from the Turkish side.

Pepi had been twice on the verge of joining Fulham, first in January and again this summer after the Premier League club agreed a deal in principle for the forward.

However, both transfers ultimately fell through, leaving the 23-year-old in Eindhoven.

"I was a bit surprised that his transfer during the last season to Fulham wasn't working out," Bosz told The Athletic. "So obviously I'm happy to have a real goalscorer in my team, because that's what he is."

Galatasaray's pursuit of Pepi follows continued attempts by Turkish clubs to recruit PSV players.

Fenerbahçe have previously tried to convince Joey Veerman and Mauro Júnior to move to Turkey, but neither transfer has materialised.

The situation with Pepi appears similarly difficult. The American has the chance to become PSV's leading striker and is determined to take full advantage of it.

With his long-term contract, PSV's asking position, and Pepi's own ambitions all aligned, Galatasaray currently have little reason to believe the forward will leave Eindhoven this summer.