Ademola Lookman will miss Atalanta’s Champions League opener against Paris Saint-Germain, with coach Ivan Juric confirming on Sunday that the Nigeria forward remains sidelined after his failed bid to leave the Serie A club.
Atalanta tuned up for Wednesday’s clash in Paris by beating Lecce 4-1 without Lookman, who has yet to feature this season following an unsuccessful summer move to Inter Milan. It was the second straight year he has tried to force an exit, having previously attempted to join PSG shortly after firing Atalanta to Europa League glory in 2024.
“I don’t think so, it’s an unpleasant situation,” Juric said when asked if Lookman would be part of the travelling squad. “He has given a lot to Atalanta, but Atalanta has given him a lot as well. We need players who are ready, who want to play for the shirt and improve. Looking ahead, we’ll see what happens.”
Since joining Atalanta three years ago, London-born Lookman has blossomed into one of Europe’s standout attackers, scoring 52 goals in 117 matches. His hat-trick in last year’s Europa League final sealed Atalanta’s first-ever European trophy in a 3-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen. He also scored 20 times last season, five of them in just seven Champions League appearances.
However, his refusal to train in hopes of securing a €50 million move to Inter soured relations with the club. With his contract running until June 2027 and Inter unwilling to meet Atalanta’s price, Lookman was left frozen out by Juric, who succeeded Gian Piero Gasperini this season.
Atalanta remain unbeaten in their first three league games without him, sitting sixth in Serie A, just a point behind Roma, now coached by Gasperini, who suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at home to Torino on Sunday. Charles De Ketelaere netted twice, while Giorgio Scalvini and Nicola Zalewski also got on the scoresheet in the Lecce win.
