Atalanta CEO Antonio Percassi has said that Nigerian star Ademola Lookman will only be allowed to leave the club this summer if a big foreign team comes calling.
Percassi made this known in a statement shared by football journalist Fabrizio Romano on Monday. He said the club made a deal with Lookman last year when they turned down a €20 million offer from Paris Saint-Germain.
“We made a pact with Lookman in 2023 when we rejected PSG’s bid. We told him he could leave in 2025 — but only to a super top club and not to another club in Italy,” Percassi said. “That agreement still stands. And we are the ones who will decide.”
Lookman joined Atalanta from German club RB Leipzig in 2022 and has scored 52 goals in 117 matches. He was a key player in Atalanta’s Europa League win last season.
But things have taken a turn in recent weeks. On Sunday, Lookman publicly asked to leave the club, saying Atalanta had failed to keep promises about his transfer.
In his message, the Super Eagles forward said he had faced "many months of broken promises" and was disappointed by how the club treated him.
Still, he thanked the fans and said he had given his best to the team.
“I’ve given absolutely everything. Not just as a footballer, but as a person,” Lookman wrote. “I’ve always worn the shirt with pride and represented the club with heart, passion, and dedication.”
Lookman’s hat-trick in the 2024 Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen was one of the season’s standout moments, and it boosted his profile across Europe.
There have been reports linking him with Inter Milan, but Atalanta insist they won’t sell him to another Serie A team. If Lookman is to leave, it must be to a top team outside Italy.
