- Atalanta determined to keep Nigerian ace
French giants Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have reportedly made a staggering offer of €4.5 million per season to acquire Nigerian striker Ademola Lookman from Serie A club Atalanta.
With the exchange rate estimated at approximately N1768.72 to one euro, Lookman could potentially earn around N7,959,240,225 per season.
His total annual package could be even higher when match bonuses and image rights are included.
Lookman’s market value is currently estimated at €40 million.
Italian news outlet Calciomercato has indicated that PSG’s offer represents a significant increase from his current €1.8 million per season salary at Atalanta.
“ For now, no contact has been made with Atalanta but they want a fee of at least €40 million to sell the ex-Fulham player, who seems quite interested in a move to Paris.
In what can be regarded as a dramatic twist of fate , PSG had long been linked to Lookman’s compatriot and Napoli striker, Victor Osimhen but news emerged on Sunday that the Parisians have already made contact with representatives of Lookman.
Lookman who was Atalanta hero in their Europa Cup victory last season against Bayer Leverkusen, has since demanded a transfer to PSG.
He was promptly omitted from his side’s 4-0 thrashing of Lecce in their Serie A opener on Monday.
Yet Atalanta CEO Luca Percassi has been quoted as saying that the club is determined to keep all its last season’s key actors when pressed about the ongoing transfer speculation surrounding Lookman and Teun Koopmeiners who is eyeing a move to Juventus.
“Last year, we had the desire to keep all our star players who were protagonists of an extraordinary season with us,” Percassi reportedly told Sky Italia. “We are calm. For the first time in our history, the idea was not to let anyone leave.
“All players are Atalanta players and will only leave on our terms.”
The 26-year-old Lookman joined the Serie A side in 2022 on a four-year till June 2026 but it’s becoming increasingly clear that Atalanta would not let that the Nigerian international go on cheap.
Lookman who turns 27 in October, scored a hat-trick in the Europa League Final against Bayer Leverkusen last season. He was purchased from RB Leipzig in 2022 for €9.35m plus bonuses.
Born and raised in London, he scored a total 32 goals with 18 assists in 79 competitive appearances for Atalanta, most recently the UEFA Super Cup defeat to Real Madrid on Wednesday.
Lookman, who has played 23 times for Nigeria, scored three goals in his country’s run to African Cup of Nations final over January and February.