Arsenal is reportedly eyeing a late swoop for Atalanta star Ademola Lookman as the transfer window approaches its final days.
The North London club is expected to be active in the closing week, with their primary focus on finalizing a deal for Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad. The Spanish midfielder is on the brink of a move to the Emirates Stadium, with a transfer fee of £34 million nearly agreed upon.
Initially, it seemed that Arsenal’s transfer activity would conclude with Merino’s arrival. However, recent reports have surfaced indicating that Arsenal has made an opening bid for Lookman.
Renowned journalist Alfredo Pedulla has revealed that the Gunners have put forward an offer of €50 million (£42.5 million), which includes potential bonuses, to secure the services of the Atalanta forward. Additionally, Arsenal is contemplating the inclusion of defender Jakub Kiwior in the deal as a way to sweeten the offer and push the transfer over the line.
Despite Arsenal’s interest, Atalanta is making efforts to retain Lookman by offering him a new contract. However, if a transfer does materialize, it is believed that a fee in the range of €65 million to €70 million (£55.3 million to £59.5 million) would be required to convince the Italian club to part ways with their star player.
Lookman has become one of the most sought-after forwards in Europe following a stellar 2023/24 season with Atalanta. The Nigerian international found the back of the net 17 times and provided 10 assists while primarily operating as a central forward for the Serie A club.
His impressive performances have attracted the attention of several top clubs, and Arsenal’s interest is a testament to his growing reputation.
Before his success in Italy, Lookman had previous stints in the Premier League, where he initially played for Everton. He later returned to England in 2021, joining Leicester City on loan.
During his time at the King Power Stadium, Lookman delivered commendable performances, but a permanent transfer to Leicester did not materialize due to the club’s financial constraints.
Brendan Rodgers, who managed Lookman during his time at Leicester, has spoken highly of the 26-year-old forward. Reflecting on Lookman’s performances, particularly his hat-trick in the Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen, Rodgers expressed his admiration for the player. “The only disappointing aspect for us [at Leicester] was that, at the end of that season, we had the chance to sign him for £14 million. Unfortunately, given our financial situation that summer, we were unable to bring in any new players,” Rodgers shared with talkSPORT.
As the transfer window edges closer to its conclusion, Arsenal’s pursuit of Lookman adds an intriguing twist to their transfer strategy.
If successful, the signing could significantly bolster Mikel Arteta’s attacking options, adding a versatile and proven forward to the squad as they aim to compete on multiple fronts in the upcoming season:
“One of my guys who I worked closely with at Celtic and Leicester is a guy called Lee Congerton and by then Lee was the general manager of Atalanta. When he knew that we weren’t able to take him, he took him then to Atalanta and he has done absolutely brilliantly there, so I am so happy, the goals he scored!”
He continued: “I was so, so happy for him watching the game last night. I go back to my night here at Celtic. I met Ade when he knew he was going to leave Charlton. We had looked to get him up here at the time, but it was so early in the window that by the time the window finished, we couldn’t afford him.”
“The money was too much, and he ended up going to Everton. We always kept in contact, so when I was at Leicester and he was at Red Bull [Leipzig], we had the chance to take him on loan.
“So I took him in, and he was absolutely brilliant. What a professional he is, the way he looks after himself, the extra work he does in training. Those goals that he scored, he practises those after training; he would always do extra training. His professionalism was unbelievable.”
