New Manchester United manager Amorim set to launch African record bid for Super Eagles forward

Record English Premier League Champions, Manchester United are weighing up an €100 million offer for Super Eagles and Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman, Soccernet.ng reports.

The former Everton man has enjoyed a rapid ascent to stardom since joining Atalanta in 2022, notably peaking in the last year as he led Nigeria to the AFCON 2023 final, and his club side to the Coppa Italia final and the UEFA Europa League triumph, scoring a hat-trick in the final, and becoming the first-ever player to do so.

His brilliance saw him finish 14th in the 2024 Ballon d’Or rankings and he’s a frontrunner for the CAF Player of the Year award after making the final five cut.

Paris Saint-Germain were linked with a move for Lookman in the summer, but nothing concrete materialized. In the last few weeks, there’s been interest from Arsenal as they look to bring in another winger but things are about to take a huge turn regarding the future of the 27-year-old.

As per Spanish outlet, Fichajes,  Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United have already lodged a €100m bid for Lookman.

The former Sporting Lisbon manager is reportedly set to be handed a low transfer budget to work with in 2025, following Man Utd’s recent failures in their transfer recruitment over the past years.

Due to this, Amorim is keen on making important signings, and believes Lookman will be vital during his time at Old Trafford.

Time for Mola to move on from Atalanta?

Lookman’s contract with Gian Piero Gasperini’s side runs till the summer of 2026, meaning he’ll be entering into the final year of his contract next summer, and with talks of a new contract yet to yield fruit, it appears the former RB Leipzig man has eyes set on a move away from Italy.

While Lookman eyes a return to the nation where he was born, it’ll take a while before a decision to join Manchester United is made, as they’re about to kick-off life under Amorim.

It is very likely that United’s position in the league at the end of the season will play a crucial role in their acquisition of their transfer targets. Should Lookman move to United, it’ll be the most expensive African transfer in the history, just after the €83m Napoli paid for Victor Osimhen.

Lookman has scored eight goals and provided five assists in 14 appearances across all competitions so far this campaign.