Atalanta CEO Luca Percassi has confirmed that the club have an agreement to allow Ademola Lookman to leave this summer, but two conditions must be met for such move to happen.
Lookman has been linked with a move to Inter Milan but Atalanta has rejected the bid offered to the Nigeria international. Inter’s second bid was €45m including bonuses but that was immediately turned down.
Frustrated with the development, Lookman posted a long statement on Instagram, claiming that there was an agreement to allow him to leave this summer, and accusing the club of treating him poorly “as a human being and as a professional footballer.”
Dea CEO Percassi has since had an opportunity to share his version of events while speaking to the media at the introductory press conference for new Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Sportiello.
Ademola Lookman reacts during the Serie A match between Como 1907 and Atalanta BC. (Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)
Percassi told the press that there is an agreement to let Lookman leave this summer, but with two important conditions: First being that it is to a ‘top’ European club, and the second being that that club is outside Serie A.
“It’s a good opportunity to clarify what happened,” Percassi told the media, via TMW.
“Last year, after a 20 million offer from PSG, the player had asked us to be sold.
“Atalanta, being a credible club, had promised to sell the player this window based on two conditions that he himself had asked of us: First, to go to a super, top European club, and that he would never be seen in Italy wearing a shirt other than Atalanta’s, given what he did for the club and what he received from the club.
“Today, as you know, the situation is very different. The club is always careful when evaluating the value and timing of its players, but as always, it is Atalanta, the club, that decides.”
Lookman has drop in a transfer request with Inter Milan, hoping to force his way out of Atlanta. However, Inter Milan are reportedly frustrated with negotiations and are willing to move on to other targets.
