After all the long negotiations surrounding the transfer of Viktor Gyokeres were finally resolved, we now have another new focus that needs attention from European soccer. This weekend, we had a significant breakthrough in the dissatisfaction that Ademola Lookman is feeling with Atalanta's management, in a very strong outburst claiming that he is being boycotted and undermined by the club itself in the search for a better future.
In a statement published on social media, Lookman said that the board had gone back on their promises significantly and were blocking a possible transfer. The 27-year-old arrived at Atalanta in the summer of 2022 from RB Leipzig, scoring 20 goals and providing seven assists last season, making him Serie A's third top scorer.
Considering the numbers since the start of his time at Atalanta, he has 52 goals and 25 assists in 118 appearances for the club. In the most remarkable moment of his career, he was responsible for the hat-trick that secured Atalanta's victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the 2024 Europa League final, Atalanta's first major trophy in 60 years.
The latest reports in Italy suggest that Lookman was trying to move to one of Atalanta's Serie A rivals, Inter Milan, who finished second in Serie A last season and will play in the Champions League in the 2025-26 season. However, the board would be wary of releasing their star player to a domestic rival and would be more inclined to negotiate with clubs abroad.
Lookman can't take it anymore at Atalanta
However, it's worth remembering that Lookman's situation at Atalanta took a significant hit in February after the Nigerian missed a penalty in the Italian side's 5-2 aggregate defeat to Club Brugge in the Champions League knockout phase. At the time, now former coach Gian Piero Gasperini said that the striker was "one of the worst penalty takers in history".
The striker responded to the "highlight" by saying that Gasperini's statements were "deeply disrespectful". Lookman came through the ranks at Charlton Athletic before joining Everton in 2017. His career continued in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig on loan before moving permanently to the German club in 2019. After returning to England on loan to Fulham and Leicester, he joined Atalanta, where he is trying to leave for a new career path