Similar to Victor Osimhen, another Nigerian international, Ademola Lookman has been omitted from the Atalanta squad for the opening game of the 2024/25 season due to his alleged interest in a move to French giants Paris Saint-Germain. Reports emerged on Sunday suggesting that the French club had initiated contact with Lookman’s agents to assess the possibility of a transfer.
While no formal offer has been presented to Atalanta, the mere association with PSG has reportedly influenced Lookman’s decision, with Football Italia noting that he requested not to be included in the lineup for the Lecce match scheduled for Monday. Since his transfer to Atalanta for €9.35 million plus bonuses from RB Leipzig in 2022, Lookman has demonstrated impressive performance, Lookman has scored 32 goals, while providing 18 assists in 79 competitive matches.
He made history by becoming the sixth player to achieve a hat-trick in a European final, a milestone first accomplished by Jupp Heynckes with Borussia Monchengladbach in the 1975 UEFA Cup, scoring all three goals in Atalanta’s victory over Bayer Leverkusen in Dublin. Atalanta’s head coach Gian Piero Gasperini had anticipated Lookman would maintain his excellent form this season, but this expectation has been significantly undermined.
The coach is already missing Teun Koopmeiners, who is also engaged in transfer discussions with Juventus. In addition, Gianluca Scamacca and Nicolo Zaniolo are sidelined due to injuries, leaving Mateo Retegui and Charles De Ketelaere as the only available strikers for the team from Bergamo.
Lookman’s predicament mirrors that of his Nigerian teammate Victor Osimhen, who also did not participate in Napoli’s away match against Hellas Verona on Sunday, having sought a transfer to PSG and Chelsea. Napoli’s director Giovanni Manna confirmed last week that Osimhen has requested to leave the club.
