Serie A side Atalanta rejected their Nigerian star Ademola Lookman's statements, in which the player accused the club of "not honoring promises" about his transfer.
Lookman claimed that the club had pledged to sell him abroad this summer; however, they blocked his move to Inter Milan.
The situation escalated as Lookman submitted an official transfer request, which he confirmed in a lengthy statement posted on his Instagram account.
In the statement, he said the club had promised to allow his departure this summer if a suitable offer arrived, but is now obstructing his move to Inter Milan “for reasons I do not understand.”
According to the Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, Atalanta saw the matter differently.
The club claimed the promise dates back to last summer, when Lookman asked to be left out of the squad for the UEFA Super Cup match against Real Madrid due to interest from Paris Saint-Germain.
The club clarified, according to the report, that the agreement was to allow the player to leave for a non-Italian club if an ambitious and lucrative offer came in.
In the same context, Atalanta CEO Percassi said, “The pact with Lookman was made one year ago when we rejected €20m from PSG”.
“We told him: we’ll let you leave in 2025 for a super top club and not in Italy. Now, the situation [with Inter] is different... and as always, it’s us deciding”
Atalanta stated they would have been more flexible had Lookman attempted to join Arsenal, Chelsea, or PSG, rather than a direct Serie A competitor like Inter.
Atalanta insisted that if Lookman is to move to Inter, it must be for the right price—specifically €50 million, instead of the current offer of €42 million plus €3 million in bonuses.
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