Arsenal have ignited interest in Ademola Lookman as they seek to open up more opportunities in attack amid his feud with Atalanta.
Inter are yet to match Atalanta’s €50 million (£43m/$58m) asking price and this makes way for a clear and open opportunity for other clubs to sign the forward. Arsenal have switched up their interest and are planning to register a bid for the Nigerian to bolster their frontline, according to Calciomercato. The club are also planning to offload Leandro Trossard in a bid to register and bring young talents to Emirates this summer.
Arsenal reportedly want to add reinforcements to their frontline to complement Viktor Gyokeres and provide the team with a different skill set. The 27-year-old has excelled in Serie A and scored 20 goals and registered seven assists in 40 games for the club last season. Moreover, Atalanta’s CEO, Luca Percassi, is also in London, which can help the clubs engage in concrete talks. However, Lookman’s preference has been to continue in Italy with Inter.
Inter’s offer currently stands at €42m (£36m/$48m) plus €3m in add-ons. The club have also agreed on personal terms with Lookman on a five-year deal with a €4.5m salary. Atalanta have set an asking price of €50m for the forward and are unwilling to compromise for a domestic rival. Percassi, in his public statement, had claimed that the club didn’t want to offload Lookman to an Italian club after the Nigeria international’s public statement criticising their refusal to accept Inter’s offer.
Arsenal are interested in bringing in more players this season before the end of the transfer window. Meanwhile, Atalanta have not yet taken disciplinary action against Lookman but will do so in due course, with the forward skipping training this week.
