Ivan Juric’s first words as Atalanta coach reveals major concerns over Ademola Lookman’s transfer saga

Ademola Lookman just returned to Atalanta earlier this week after trying to force the club to sell him…

Ivan Juric has empathized with Atalanta fans amid Ademola Lookman's transfer tussle with this club this summer, Soccernet.ng reports.

It has been a controversial summer transfer window for Atalanta and Lookman, and it promises to drag on until the end.

Coming into this summer, it was reported that Atalanta had an agreement in place to let Lookman leave this summer. So it was almost set in stone that he would leave Bergamo.

At the start of the transfer window, he was linked to clubs like Atletico Madrid, Arsenal, and Barcelona, but none of them put in a bid for him.

However, Inter Milan emerged as a potential destination a few weeks ago. They took the initiative, agreed on personal terms with Lookman, and put in a €45 million bid for the Super Eagles star.

But La Dea rejected Inter Milan's offer, as it was below their €50 million valuation of the player.

That decision got a negative reaction from Lookman, as he deleted the club's pictures from his social media page, tendered a transfer request, called out the club, and went on strike. But Atalanta refused to budge, and Inter Milan eventually opted out of the deal.

Lookman is now back at Atalanta and has started training, but he has been working separately from the rest of the team.

What Juric said about Ademola Lookman

Atalanta begin their 2025/2026 Serie A campaign with a game against newly-promoted Pisa on Sunday. And during the pre-match presser, new Atalanta coach Juric spoke about Ademola Lookman's transfer debacle.

“The Lookman situation is typical of the transfer market in recent years. These situations punish the fans, while the player and the club look after their own interest,” Juric said.

“The fans put their heart and soul into it, and so they feel bad. The battle is between emotions and cool heads.”

As it stands, Inter Milan is no longer a possible destination for Lookman. And with the transfer window closing in about a week, he might just have to stay at Atalanta this season.