Atalanta have reportedly put a €60m price tag on Ademola Lookman following interests from a horde of European willing to secure the signature of the African Footballer of the Year in the summer.
The Old Lady of Italian football, Juventus, have already been linked to the Nigeria International striker ahead of the summer transfer window with doubts over Bianconeri target in Victor Osimhen, who according to several Italian media outfits, remains in contact with Manchester United.
According to Football Italia, Juventus are looking to revitalise their attacking department during the off-season, and have been linked with a series of moves for a number of different centre-forwards. Recent reports in Italy claimed that Osimhen is the ‘dream’ option for the Bianconeri, but his current situation does not make negotiations easy.
Osimhen is still on loan with Galatasaray from Napoli, but is expected to return to Italy and then be sold on in the summer transfer window. He has a release clause worth €70m in his contract, which is only valid for clubs outside Italy, which means that Juventus would likely have to pay a premium to acquire his services.
His salary of around €10m per season makes him one of the best-paid players in the division, which also puts Juventus off according to reports from Tuttosport.
Even yesterday, Tuttosport further claimed that Napoli remain in contact with Manchester United over a possible Osimhen sale as part of a player-plus-cash exchange in order to bring Danish Striker Rasmus Hojlund to the Stadio Maradona.
With links between Juventus and Osimhen cool off, it was gathered that Juventus are now interested in Atalanta’s Lookman.
With plenty of interest in Lookman in Serie A and the Premier League, Atalanta will reportedly set the asking price at around €60m for Lookman this summer. Coincidentally, Napoli are also among the interested parties.
Lookman who joined Atalanta in 2022 on a four-year contract for a reported fee of €15 million from Leicester, has been in a rich vein of form in the on-going campaign and has scored an impressive 13 goals in 25 Serie A matches.
Elsewhere, Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli has reportedly begun serious moves to acquire Lookman as the Jeddah –based side seeks to strengthen the team’s attack by signing a player ‘known for his speed and decisiveness inside the penalty area’.
Words are rife that the Italian club may agree to Let Lookman leave if a financial offer meets their expectations. Lookman has caught attention with his performance at Atalanta and is considered one of the standout names in Serie A this season.
The opportunity is strong, and Al Ahli is racing against time to finalize the deal before facing competition from European leagues.
Credit: thenationonlineng.net
