Gazzetta dello Sport claims that although Atalanta has set €50 million as their official asking price for Lookman, they have asked Inter to raise their offer because the money is intended for teams outside of Italy.
According to L’Equipe, Inter has made a move for AS Monaco winger Maghnes Akliouche, while Atalanta is still after Lookman.
The Nigerian international is still the Nerazzurri’s top pick for the position, but they have been forced to investigate other options after Atalanta rejected the €45 million offer.
According to the French site L’Equipe, one of their targets is Akliouche, a 23-year-old who has six senior caps for France and was part of their Olympic team.
However, if Lookman is considered expensive at €50m, then that is nothing compared to the reported €70m that Monaco wants for Akliouche.
It remains to be seen if Inter will improve their offer for Lookman. If they fail to do so, the player might be condemned to remain at Bergamo after trying to force his exit.
Lookman has turned down offers from Arsenal, Napoli, and Atletico in favor of joining Inter due to their desire. However, Lookman has tried to compel the move by going on strike and skipping training because Atalanta and Inter cannot agree on a transfer fee.
Since August 5, the 27-year-old has not shown up for Atalanta training after an offer from Inter was rejected against his wishes. Lookman asserted that Atalanta had made a commitment to sell him if the proper offer materialized and that the team had broken that agreement by turning down Inter’s offer. The club’s CEO retaliated, stating that the agreement only applies to teams that are not based in Italy.
Even though Lookman missed a whole week of training, Atalanta is reportedly aware of his whereabouts, and Inter is still awaiting word from La Dea before moving forward with negotiations.
Lookman has been working out in London, according to Corriere dello Sport.
After joining Atalanta from RB Leipzig in 2022, Lookman has emerged as a vital member of the Bergamo team, most notably for his hat trick against Bayer Leverkusen in the 2024 Europa League final.
