Ademola Lookman releases furious transfer statement after 'broken promises'

Daily Mirror

3 days ago

Atalanta star Ademola Lookman has been the subject of two bids from Serie A rivals Inter Milan but he's yet to get his move, prompting him to submit a transfer request
Former Premier League star Ademola Lookman has handed in a transfer request at Atalanta in an effort to force a move to Inter Milan. Lookman, 27, wants to join the Serie A giants and says that he reached an agreement with Atalanta's board which would allow him to leave if they received a 'fair' offer.
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But the ex-Everton, Fulham and Leicester forward claims that Atalanta have 'broken promises' to him, having already sold one star player, Mateo Retegui, this summer. That's prompted Lookman to hand in a 'formal transfer request', a decision which he confirmed in a lengthy statement on social media.
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"There have been numerous clubs approach Atalanta in the past and I have previously always stayed loyal," part of his post read. "However, myself and the ownership of the club have been in agreement that now is the right time and the club were clear with me that if a fair offer came in they would allow me to move.
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"Despite now receiving an offer in alignment to what I believe had been discussed sadly the club are blocking the opportunity for reasons I do not understand.
"As a result and after many months of broken promises and what I feel has been poor treatment towards me as both a human being and as a professional footballer, sadly I feel I have no choice but to speak out for what I believe is right and I feel that enough is enough. I can confirm I have now handed in a formal transfer request."
Lookman joined Atalanta from German side RB Leipzig in 2022 for £9.4million. The England-born Nigeria international has scored 52 goals in 117 games for La Dea, including a first career hat-trick during their Europa League final win against Bayer Leverkusen in 2024.
So far, Inter have submitted two bids for Lookman, neither of which have met Atalanta's reported £43.5m valuation. Their CEO, Luca Percassi, confirmed Inter's first offer last week but explained how Retegui's £56m departure to Saudi Pro League club Al-Qadsiah has changed their financial situation.
"Lookman has been expressing his desire to leave for some time," Percassi said. "It's no secret. In all our discussions, he was a player who should have left this summer, following our club's philosophy of one sale per year.
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"But the transfer market always brings unexpected things, you know well what happened with Mateo Retegui. For Lookman, despite so much interest, there had never been anything concrete until yesterday when the first official proposal arrived. Inter is a very friendly company, I saw [president Beppe] Marotta yesterday.
"We have a great friendship and professional relationship. In these days, we will evaluate with great serenity the offer we have received, and then give an answer. I can only say that the timing and exit values of Atalanta players are decided only by the club."