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Inter Milan’s pursuit of Ademola Lookman looks dead in the water, at least until next summer, with January ruled out as a realistic option, Footynaija.com reports.
The Nigerian forward, crowned African Footballer of the Year in December, had been on Inter’s radar throughout the summer, while Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Tottenham also showed interest.
Inter tabled an offer worth €42m plus €3m in bonuses, but Atalanta refused to budge. The Serie A club stood firm, insisting they would not sell one of their star men to a domestic rival.
Italian journalist Fabrizio Biasin has now revealed why the Nerazzurri won’t revive their chase in January.
“He definitely won’t leave in January because they have the African Cup of Nations,” Biasin told FCInter1908.
“I’d tend to rule that out. When Atalanta rejected Inter’s €42 million + €3 million offer, Atalanta didn’t say ‘we want more.’ They said we won’t sell him to Italy. This is legitimate, and Percassi hasn’t changed his mind, and I doubt he will. He’ll probably lose money on Lookman, even a lot, but he can always tell the fans he kept his word.”
Lookman’s situation at Atalanta remains tense after a fallout with the club hierarchy left him without a single appearance so far this season.
Despite that, he continues to feature prominently for Nigeria, starting their recent World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and South Africa.
The winger is also expected to miss Atalanta’s Champions League opener against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night.
