ADEMOLA Lookman has refused to show up for training with Atalanta for the second consecutive day as his relationship with the club continues to deteriorate.
The Super Eagles forward is trying to force through a move to Inter Milan, while Atalanta would rather sell him to a club outside of Italy.
The rapport between African Player of the Year Lookman and his current employers is at rock bottom following Atalanta’s decision to reject an offer of €45m (made up of €42m and €3m in bonuses) from Inter Milan last week.
Lookman has since taken to social media to release a statement, confirming that he had submitted a formal transfer request while accusing Atalanta of ‘broken promises’ and treating him ‘badly as a human being and as a professional footballer’.
The former Everton, Fulham, Leicester and RB Leipzieg forward also claimed that he had an agreement with Atalanta that he would be allowed to move on this summer if an appropriate offer were to arrive.
Atalanta CEO Luca Percassi has since confirmed that there was a gentleman’s agreement with Lookman, but importantly, part of that informal deal was an agreement that the player would not sign for another club in Italy.
Lookman failed to show up for pre-season training for the second day in a row today, according to Football Italia.
The 27-year-old Nigeria international was expected to report to Atalanta’s training ground for an individual session after his recent injury concerns.
However, Lookman has decided to continue his protest, hoping that it will force a breakthrough in the deadlock between Atalanta and Inter Milan.