The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has thrown its weight behind Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman, who is currently embroiled in a tense transfer dispute with Italian club Atalanta.
Lookman took to social media on Sunday to confirm he had submitted a formal transfer request after Atalanta reportedly blocked a move to Serie A rivals Inter Milan.
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According to reports, Inter had tabled an offer worth €42 million plus €3 million in add-ons, but Atalanta rejected the bid, holding out for €50 million.
The 26-year-old, who played a crucial role in Nigeria’s run to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations final, expressed frustration over what he described as “broken promises” and “poor treatment” by the club. In an emotional statement posted on Instagram, he said:
“As a result, and after many months of broken promises and what I feel has been poor treatment towards me as both a human being and as a professional footballer, sadly I feel I have no choice but to speak out for what I believe is right… I can confirm I have now handed in a formal transfer request.”
Although Lookman did not directly mention Inter Milan in his post, it is widely understood that the Nerazzurri are his preferred destination.
In a show of solidarity, the official Super Eagles @NGSuperEagles account on X (formerly Twitter) publicly declared support for the forward, stating simply:
“We stand with Ademola Lookman.”
The statement, which reflects the NFF’s position, signals a rare intervention from the Nigerian football authorities in a club-versus-player dispute and underscores Lookman’s importance to the national team.
Meanwhile, Lookman has since scrubbed all references to Atalanta from his social media profiles, further signalling a definitive break with the Bergamo-based club.
