Super Eagles winger Ademola Lookman has been left out of new coach Ivan Jurić’s squad list to face Lecce. Recall that during the transfer window, Lookman submitted a transfer request, citing unfair treatment towards him as both a professional and a human being. The reigning African Player of the Year revealed that he had a gentleman’s agreement to be allowed to leave for a fair price. He had already agreed personal terms with Inter, who were making an offer of £45m; however, Atalanta refused to let the player go.
Following the breakdown of negotiations, Lookman reportedly stopped training with the squad and travelled to the UK to train alone. Unfortunately, his deal with Inter never went through, and on his return to Atalanta, he was made to train separately from the first team until the close of the transfer window.
A last-minute loan move to Galatasaray also collapsed, as Atalanta were unwilling to sanction a loan deal—something confirmed by Gala coach Okan Buruk. Subsequently, Atalanta included Lookman in their UCL squad list, and the winger returned to training with the first team before heading off for international duty with Nigeria, where he played 180 minutes across two matches.
Upon his return from Nigeria, however, Lookman was once again excluded from Atalanta’s Serie A squad to face Lecce. Speaking about the decision, head coach Ivan Jurić described the situation as “unfortunate,” but stressed that any player who wanted to represent Atalanta must remain “humble” and earn the right to play for the badge.
According to Nigerian journalist Buchi Laba, Atalanta are planning to offer the Nigerian star a contract extension with a release clause. However, Lookman’s camp have made it clear that he would only sign if the release clause is set at £40m, a figure they deem fair.
Unconfirmed reports also suggest that the forward has now requested to train separately once again, as he still intends to push for a move away from Atalanta—possibly as early as the January transferer window.