Atalanta’s newly appointed manager Ivan Juric has admitted he would prefer to have Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman at his disposal next season, amid expectations of the Nigerian’s departure this summer, Foitynaija.com reports.
Lookman has established himself as a household name in Bergamo since joining La Dea from German Bundesliga side RB Leipzig back in the summer of 2022.
Arguably Atalanta’s best player since his arrival, Lookman has registered 52 goals and 21 assists in 118 appearances across all competitions, including a hat-trick to secure the 2024 Europa League crown.
However, a couple of high-profile fallouts with former Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini during the 2024/2025 season began to fuel rumours of the Nigeria international’s impending departure and since then, the speculations have persisted.
A recent report by Footynaija.com quoted Italian transfer guru Matteo Moretto’s claims that Lookman will 99.9% leave Atalanta this summer amid strong interest from Serie A rivals Juventus and Napoli.
Despite this, Juric, who recently replaced Gasperini at the helm of Atalanta’s affairs, wasted little time in making his desire to keep the reigning African Player of the Year in Bergamo during his first press conference as La Dea boss.
“It will be tough in the league, there will be fierce competitors,” Juric said in quotes revealed by Calcio Napoli.
“The idea would be to keep both Lookman and Ederson, even if the club has clear ideas on the market and I have not made any request on players, not even on those I have had.”
While Juric obviously desires to maintain the core of his newly inherited squad, Atalanta’s resolve will surely be tested this summer when bids begin to fly in for the signatures of some of their best talents.