Serie A team Atalanta maintains that they are still waiting for good bids for Ademola Lookman as the transfer window draws to a close.
Lookman was rumored to be leaving the team in the summer, but after critiquing the club in a statement for turning down a €45 million bid, the player has been missing training for more than a week.
The 2023–24 Europa League champions maintain that he would only be sold for the proper price, despite his decision to leave the team without authorization to force an exit.
According to L’Eco di Bargamo, no team has yet to meet the Italian club’s €50 million asking price for the Super Eagles attacker.
The newspaper said only one formal offer was received by the club, and that was from Inter Milan on July 29. It was €45m including bonuses, and it was rejected by Atalanta.
The Bergamo newspaper said that if Atalanta didn’t get the right offer, Lookman will have to stay put at the club, although the player has threatened he would not play for the club again.
Meanwhile, Lookman, who was training in London last week, is said to have travelled to Portugal with the hope that there will soon be an end to his transfer saga with Atalanta.
The club’s coach, Ivan Juric, has expressed concern over the potential departure of the 27-year-old.
Juric acknowledged the scale of the challenge facing Atalanta, who have also lost top scorer Mateo Retegui to Saudi Arabia after the striker netted crucial goals last season alongside Lookman’s contributions.
“We lost players who provided 80-90 per cent of our goals, and it won’t be easy to replace them,” said Juric.
