Reigning African Player of The Year, Ademola Lookman, could be forced to stay at Atalanta due to no suitable offers to persuade the Bergamo club to sell, while his only suitor, Inter Milan, have also identified an alternative.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Atalanta have set €50m as the official asking price for Lookman but have urged Inter to increase their bid for the Nigerian, as the fee is meant for clubs outside Italy.
With Atalanta still holding out on Lookman, L’Equipe reports that Inter have asked after AS Monaco winger Maghnes Akliouche.
The Nerazzurri still see the Nigeria international as their first choice for the role, but the refusal of Atalanta to consider the €45m offer has prompted them to at least think about some alternatives.
According to French site L’Equipe, one of their targets is Akliouche, a 23-year-old who has six senior caps for France and was part of their Olympic team.
However, if Lookman is considered expensive at €50m, then that is nothing compared to the reported €70m that Monaco wants for Akliouche. It remains to be seen if Inter will improve their offer for Lookman. If they fail to do so, the player might be condemned to remain at Bergamo after trying to force his exit. Inter’s interest has seen Lookman reject offers from Arsenal, Napoli and Atletico in favour of joining the Nerazzurri. However, with Atalanta and Inter unable to agree on a transfer fee, Lookman has attempted to force the move by going on strike and refusing to attend training.
The 27-year-old has failed to report for Atalanta training since August 5 in response to a bid from Inter being turned down, against the player’s will. Lookman claimed Atalanta had promised he would be sold if the right offer came along, and the player accused the club of breaking that vow by rejecting Inter’s bid. However, the club’s CEO hit back, clarifying that the agreement only applies to teams outside of Italy.
Meanwhile, Atalanta are said to be aware of Lookman’s whereabouts, despite his absence from training for a full week, while Inter are still waiting for a signal from La Dea to make the next move in negotiations.
According to Corriere dello Sport, Lookman has been training in London.
Atalanta signed Lookman from RB Leipzig in 2022, and he has since become a key figure in Bergamo, notably scoring a hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen in the 2024 Europa League final.
