Ademola Lookman saga heats up: Atalanta to punish Super Eagles star for going AWOL amid Inter Milan standoff

Ademola Lookman is desperate to leave Atalanta this summer amid interest from Inter Milan

Super Eagles attacker Ademola Lookman has refused to attend training at Atalanta and has reportedly left Italy in protest after the club rejected Inter Milan's bid for his transfer last week, Soccernet.ng reports.

Lookman's transfer situation has continued to boil over in the past week. Recall that last week, he deleted posts about Atalanta from his social media and shared a message to fans, informing them of his decision to tender a transfer request after the club rejected Inter Milan's bid for him.

The 27-year-old winger complained about a breach of trust as he had a verbal agreement in place with them.

Now, Lookman has left Italy in protest to force Atalanta to sell him. He has also refused to communicate with the club.

However, Atalanta are not taking the matter lightly. According to Football Italia, the former Europa League champions are looking to take legal action against Lookman, which could see him get a heavy fine.

Generally, when players go away without leave (AWOL), their clubs fine them multiple weeks' wages, and this is what Lookman could get.

Why Are Atalanta Playing Hardball With Ademola Lookman?

Coming into this summer, Ademola Lookman already had an agreement in place with Atalanta that he could leave this summer.

But despite being linked to multiple clubs like Manchester United, Atletico Madrid, and Arsenal, Inter Milan are the only club that have made a move. They have already agreed on personal terms.

However, their first bid was €42 million guaranteed plus €3 million variables. This is significantly lower than Atalanta's €50 million valuation.

Also, La Dea are not intrigued about selling their best player to a direct rival. As such, they are also playing the waiting game, just in case another big club tables an offer for Lookman.

Unfortunately for them, none of the other clubs linked to Lookman appear to be willing to approach yet, as they are still dealing with other targets.

Atalanta have the upperhand in this situation, as Lookman still has two years left on his contract. So even if they refuse to sell, the Nigerian attacker will have to return to play for them next season.

But they will hope that the issue is resolved soon so that they can focus on the football, as the Serie A resumes in two weeks.