Atalanta lose star striker ahead of BVB Champions League clash | OneFootball

After the second half of the league phase in the Champions League was disappointing for BVB, the club must go through the playoff round, which is now held before the round of 16. Their opponent will be Atalanta Bergamo, which, however, has just suffered a significant loss from its squad. For BVB, this is certainly not bad news.

It was officially announced last night. Ademola Lookman is moving from Bergamo to Atletico Madrid. This transfer had been on the wish list of the Spaniards and the player himself for some time. The transfer takes effect immediately, and the Nigerian's new contract is valid until 2030. He was no longer part of the squad during Atlanta Bergamo's away game on Sunday at Como 1907 (0:0).

In the two duels between Atalanta and BVB on February 17 (in Dortmund) and February 25 (in Italy), Lookman will therefore no longer pose a threat to Dortmund's goal. Instead, he will play with his new club Atletico Madrid against FC Brugge for a place in the round of 16, one day later.

Ademola Lookman, also known in the Bundesliga, moved from Rasenballsport Leipzig to Atalanta in 2022 for 12 million. He has now been sold for 35 million plus potential bonuses of 5 million euros.

Photo: IMAGO

Atalanta vs. BVB in the Champions League without Lookman

His 55 goals in 137 competitive matches are already a remarkable record in the history of Atlanta Bergamo. However, his place in their annals is particularly special due to the three goals with which he led the club to its first European title in the 2024 Europa League final and its second overall after an Italian Cup victory in 1963. Back then, Bergamo won 3-0 against Bayer Leverkusen, which had been unbeaten throughout the entire season, with Lookman responsible for all the goals.

While his output in Serie A this season remained modest, with only two goals in twelve league games, Lookman shone with three goals and four assists for Nigeria at the 2026 Africa Cup. With 30:20 goals after 23 matchdays, sitting in 11th place, his colleagues at Atalanta have also not managed to form an outstanding offense so far. In the Champions League, the tally was also modest, with ten goals in eight matches.

Nevertheless, the task of facing Atalanta will not be easy for Borussia Dortmund, especially if they can build on their recent form shown in the Champions League.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.