Lookman, Atalanta hold firm: Inter can’t break through as time runs out | OneFootball

Inter continues to press on the accelerator to bring Ademola Lookman to Milan, but Atalanta is holding firm. This was reiterated by the Nerazzurri CEO, Luca Percassi, who confirmed the distance between the parties and, above all, the core principle of the Bergamo club’s policy: they are the ones who decide the timing and conditions of sales. There is no openness to external diktats, not even if they come from a big club like Inter.

Lookman, Atalanta stands firm: Inter can’t break through and time is running out

The latest offer delivered to Zingonia—€43 million fixed plus €2 million in bonuses—was deemed insufficient. La Dea values the Nigerian winger at over €50 million, but behind the wall raised by Percassi, there are not only economic reasons. The annoyance, more or less veiled, is for Inter’s strategy: the submission of a written offer yesterday, after Beppe Marotta had openly spoken of “the last two or three days” before changing target, was interpreted as a sort of ultimatum. And Atalanta does not appreciate such tones.

Nevertheless, optimism filters through from Viale della Liberazione. The belief is that the negotiation is far from over; on the contrary, at Inter they believe that, with a further effort, the deal can be closed. Also because Lookman has already expressed his desire to try a new experience, and although he is not forcing the issue, his intentions are clear. And in these cases, as is well known, ignoring the player’s stance can backfire. However, to get closer to a positive outcome, a credible new offer will be needed. Inter is evaluating carefully, but knows that the negotiation for Lookman—born in 1997, high impact but low resale value—also involves exposure to the Oaktree ownership. This is a move that goes beyond the transfer market: the success of the deal also reflects on the management’s reliability. And making a mistake now could come at a high cost.

Andrea Alati

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