How Atalanta cost Ademola Lookman a UEFA Champions League medal

In 2024, Atalanta blocked a transfer that could have changed Ademola Lookman's entire career trajectory.

Fast forward to 2025, and that decision may have cost the Nigerian superstar the biggest prize in European football.

Just weeks after Ademola Lookman stunned Europe with a hat-trick in the Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen, PSG came knocking with a €20 million offer.

It was a tempting move for the Nigerian forward, but Atalanta president Antonio Percassi slammed the door shut.

Speaking at a press conference, Percassi revealed, “The pact with Lookman was made a year ago, when we refused a €20m offer from PSG.”

That refusal, in hindsight, has aged poorly because PSG went on to win the UEFA Champions League the very next season.

Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who did secure his dream move to Paris, ended up playing a crucial role in their historic title run.

For Lookman, watching from Bergamo as PSG lifted the trophy must’ve stung deeply, especially considering the events that have since unfolded.

To soften the blow of rejecting PSG’s bid, Atalanta reportedly gave Lookman a promise that he could leave in 2025.

However, after the Nigerian international reached a personal agreement with Inter Milan, Atalanta have rejected their €45 million offer. This new rejection has forced Lookman to submit a transfer request as well as go on strike to force a move.

Percassi has now reaffirmed that Atalanta still control the player’s fate, and Inter’s interest, much like PSG’s before them, might end up in smoke.

So once again, Lookman is stuck, having already seen his Champions League dream deferred by the same club that once promised to set him free.