Ademola Lookman is now back in Bergamo and is preparing to train at Zingonia for the first time after learning that Inter have decided to withdraw from the race to sign him this summer, photos confirm.
Reports on Monday evening confirmed that Inter have told Atalanta that they no longer wish to pursue a deal for Lookman, despite weeks and weeks of negotiations for the African Player of the Year.
The Nerazzurri had seen an offer of €45m including bonuses for Lookman turned down this summer, and now it appears that they will not come back in with an improved bid.
The initial rejection of Inter’s bid for Lookman caused the Nigeria international to hand in a formal transfer request and desert Atalanta training, instead returning to the UK to train individually. He also released a statement accusing his employers of breaking promises and treating him poorly as a ‘human being and professional footballer’.
Dea CEO Luca Percassi later confirmed that there was an agreement in place that allowed Lookman to leave the club under the right conditions this summer, but only for ‘big’ teams that are located outside Serie A, which complicated a deal between Inter and Atalanta.
Despite Lookman’s desire to force through a move to Inter this summer, he has now been forced to swallow a bitter pill and return to Atalanta with less than a week to go before the start of the 2025-26 Serie A season.
Atalanta will get their league campaign underway with a visit from newly-promoted Pisa on Sunday evening, kicking off at 19.45 BST.
Pictures: Lookman returns to Atalanta
Le immagini di Ademola #Lookman al ritorno a Zingonia. @SkySport pic.twitter.com/735mtAaSBn
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) August 19, 2025
Atlanta are now happy to keep unhappy player who has given his all.
Back where he belongs 🤣 this man is so lucky Atalanta doesn’t fine him or freeze him out after causing such a fuss. Who the hell does he think he is?
@Omar who do you think you are? He has given them all he can and instead of them saying thank you and sending him off to his next challenge, they will gat a player disgruntled and unhappy. He us a professional and sure he will perform. Italians are racists so not surprised both Lookman and Osimhen were treated this way