Embattled Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman has returned to Atalanta following a total collapse in talks between the Bergamo-based club and Inter Milan over his transfer, Footynaija.com reports.
Lookman made no secret of his desire to cut ties with Atalanta this summer when the club’s Serie A rivals Inter Milan lodged a bid worth €45 million to try and facilitate his departure from Bergamo.
However, Atalanta took a strong stance, firmly rebuffing all of the Nerazzurri’s advances and insisting that they would only begin to consider the possibility of a sale if their €50 million valuation of the Lookman was met.
On his part, the reigning Africa Player of the Year tried to force the issue by handing in a transfer request to La Dea and proceeded to erase every trace of his association with the club on social media.
Lookman also accused Atalanta of failing to honour a gentleman’s agreement that had been put in place regarding his departure and has stayed away from team training for the past couple of weeks.
Despite all this, Atalanta refused to budge from their stance regarding the acceptable conditions for the Nigerian’s departure and Inter, understandably frustrated by the entire situation, decided to back off from the deal completely.
Ademola Lookman returns to Atalanta
Following this latest development, Lookman has now returned to Atalanta where he is expected to train away from the rest of his teammates as his representatives continue to explore alternative exit routes before the close of the transfer window.
Atalanta’s preference has always been to avoid losing their star man of the last three years to a direct rival in the Italian top flight. With Premier League clubs believed to be monitoring the player’s situation, it appears La Dea might end up getting their way.
In the event that a move away from Bergamo does not materialize for Lookman this summer, the Super Eagles star is expected to face some sanctions from the club. However, the possibility of his reintegration into the first team remains.
Atalanta begin their Serie A campaign in five days and it is highly unlikely that Lookman will play any role. Nevertheless, La Dea will be hoping to start strong by taking all three points against new boys Pisa.