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Tag: Serie A

Atalanta Offers Fenerbache €40m Ademola Lookman

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Multiple Italian sources claimed Atalanta are ready to listen to a new Fenerbahce offer for Ademola Lookman, as €40m could be enough. Director of sport Devin Ozek is said to be in Italy for negotiations. The Nigeria international was away for the last month at the Africa Cup of Nations, helping his side secure third place in the tournament. He had his first start for the club of 2026 in last night’s 1-0 Champions League defeat to Union Saint-Gilloise, and the time has come to discuss his future. According to both Sportmediaset and Sportitalia in Italy, Fenerbahce have stepped up with a new proposal that is worth €9m per season wages for Lookman. Atalanta too are ready to listen to offers after picking up Giacomo Raspadori from Atletico Madrid, meaning he is no longer required. His contract only runs to June 2027, so he could be signed on loan with obligation to buy at the end of the season for a total package of circa €40m. That is €5m for the six-month loan, plus the obligation to buy for a further €35m. Lookman had pushed hard to join Inter last summer, but the asking price then was at least €50m.

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Atalanta Sack Head Coach Ivan Juric After Poor Serie A Start

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Atalanta have sacked head coach Ivan Juric following a 3-0 home defeat to Sassuolo, leaving the club in 13th place in Serie A after 11 matches. Juric, who took over in June after Gian Piero Gasperini’s nine-year spell, struggled to replicate last season’s success when Atalanta finished third. The team has recorded only two league wins this campaign and sits 11 points behind leaders Inter Milan. “Atalanta BC announces that Ivan Juric has been relieved of his duties as first team coach,” the club said in a statement. “We thank Ivan Juric and his staff for their hard work and wish them all the best for the future.” The 50-year-old Croatian previously managed AS Roma for less than two months in 2024 and also had a brief stint at Southampton, leaving the club a day after their relegation from the Premier League. Reports suggest that former Fiorentina manager Raffaele Palladino is a leading candidate to take over. Atalanta will face Napoli on November 22 following the international break.

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Ademola Lookman Returns to Atalanta after Inter Withdrawal

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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. 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 7.45pm.

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Ademola Lookman Hands Atalanta Transfer Request

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Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman has handed the club a formal transfer request, the player said Sunday. Lookman made the announcement with a statement posted on Instagram. The 27-year-old said the request was made “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 and I feel that enough is enough,” he said. He said in the statement that it had already been decided that it was the “right time” for him “to move on and experience a new adventure.” He said he and the club ownership had been “in agreement” that now was the right time for a transfer, and that the club agreed to let him leave if a fair offer was made. He said an offer did arrive but now the club was not sticking to its end of the agreement. “Despite now receiving an offer in alignment to what I believe had been discussed, sadly the club are blocking the opportunity for reasons I do not understand,” he said. “Over the past three years at Atalanta. I’ve given absolutely evrything. Not just as a footballer, but as a person. I’ve always worn the shirt with pride and tried to represent this club and the city of Bergamo with heart, passion and dedication. “I came here with the hope of helping this special club grow and together, we’ve created memories that stay with me forever. Winning the Europa League and standing shoulder to shoulder with my teammates that night in Dublin celebrating with our fans was one of the proudest moments of my career so far. It still gives me goosebumps thinking about it. “Atalanta, and especcially its supporters, have become a part of me. This place has felt like home from the moment I arrived, and I’ve always tried to repay that love-even in moments where things haven’t been easy behind the scenes. “That’s what makes writing this so hard. I have loved every moment but feel that now, after three wonderful years in Bergamo, it is the right time to move on and experience a new adventure. There have been numerous clubs approach Atalanta in the past and I have previously always stayed loyal. However, myself and the ownership of the club have been in agreement that now is the right time and the club were clear with me that if a fair offer come in they would allow me to move. “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 and I feel that enough is enough. I can confirm I have now handed in a formal transfer request. “Even throughout the extremely difficult moments I’ve endured, many of which have remained private and confidential. I have always tried to put the club, the fans and the team first and hoped it would not get to this, but I unfortunately feel there is now little choice. “To the fans -the heartbeat of this club -I want to say this: I’m truly sorry it’s come to this. I hope you can understand this incredibly difficult situation. It’s simply about standing up for what I believe is fair and right. The support you have always give me has been incredible and the bond we have created together is special. “I hope to work together with the club to find an amicable solution for all parties as soon as possible,” the forward stated.

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Nigerian Goalkeeper Bags Two-Month Ban

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Super Eagles and Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye, who had been accused of match-fixing, has been cleared of all charges but given a two-month ban by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), the Serie A club said. The FIGC National Federal Court, which met on Tuesday to discuss the charge against Nigerian Okoye, “has excluded any involvement of the player in sports offences, after accepting the arguments of his lawyers”, Udinese said in a statement. “During the trial, all charges of alleged sporting misconduct were dropped, and the decision to impose a two-month ban was based solely on a violation of the general principle of fairness (Article 4 of the Federal Sports Justice Code). “The club has stated that it is satisfied with the court’s conclusion that the player was not involved in the infamous match-fixing theory. The club wishes to reiterate its full support for Okoye, who is awaiting the reasons for the decision. Udinese Calcio reasserts that it is firmly convinced of Maduka’s proper conduct.” The 25-year-old Nigerian international was alleged to have deliberately collected a booking during his team’s Italian league match against Lazio in March 2024. The German-born goalkeeper received a yellow card for time-wasting, after an alleged deal reached with a friend who won 120,000 euros ($140,000) as a result of a bet. The FIGC investigation established that there was no intention to fix the match, which would have been punishable by a four-year fine. However Okoye, who has been with Udinese since 2023, will be suspended from August 18 to October 19. He will therefore miss seven of his team’s matches — six in the league and one in the Coppa Italia.

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Juventus Tables New Contact for Osimhen

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Serie A giants Napoli will definitely see Victor Osimhen depart this summer and there is increasing possibility of him joining Juventus. The Bianconeri were linked with the striker some months ago and now, they are back in the fray, with the forward struggling to attract suitable offers for himself. Gianluca di Marzio has reported that the Old Lady have two options for the striker’s department and while one is Jonathan David, the key target is Osimhen. They are serious about signing the Nigeria international and Igor Tudor is keen to have him in Turin. Contact between the two parties intensified over the weekend. Juve’s goal is to acquire the player’s approval for the transfer so that they can then agree a wage with the player. After that, they will negotiate with Napoli, who have inserted a release clause in Osimhen’s current contract but it is only applicable to clubs abroad.

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Osimhen Rejects Al Hilal Move

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Serie A giants Napoli were close to selling Victor Osimhen to Al Hilal but the move will now not go through. Earlier today, it became clear that the Saudi Arabian club will trigger the player’s release clause and they were only waiting for the Nigerian’s go-ahead for a transfer. It seems as if the move will not go through after all. Gianluca di Marzio has reported that the striker has made it clear that he will not join Al Hilal. This has happened after the Napoli player made some final assessments about the potential transfer. Initially, the Saudi club had offered a fee that was slightly lower that the player’s release clause. But that wasn’t enough for Napoli, who wanted a higher fee and the release clause was triggered. Alfredo Pedulla has revealed that Al Hilal had offered Osimhen a wage of over €30 million per season but the player’s ‘no’ is quite decisive.

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Chukwueze Reflects on Milan’s Disastrous Season

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AC Milan winger Samuel Chukwueze has admitted that the 2024-25 season has been the worst of his career, in terms of team performance. The campaign did not start off the way that Milan hoped and they were forced into a coaching change in December, with Sergio Conceicao replacing Paolo Fonseca. He won a trophy after just a few days, namely the Supercoppa Italiana out in Saudi Arabia. Things only went downhill from there, with elimination in the Champions League against Feyenoord being the biggest disappointment. Conceicao’s side ended up finishing eighth place in Serie A and lost the Coppa Italia final against Bologna. Thus, the decision was made to enact some big changes ahead of 2025-26. Igli Tare came in as the sporting director one week ago, with Massimiliano Allegri’s return as head coach having been confirmed on Friday. Chukwueze was a guest on Victor Modo‘s podcast and he made some revealing comments about how he views the season that has just ended, though he did also praise the loyalty of the Milan fans. “Last season is something we don’t really want to talk about. It was a bad season for the Milan fans and for everyone involved. Honestly, it’s one of the worst seasons of my professional career. I’m not going to lie – we didn’t win anything, I didn’t play much, even though I had the stats. “We crashed out of the Champions League, lost in the cup, fell short in the league – everything just went wrong. It was a tough season, with injuries, changing the coach, bringing in a new one. It was all upside down. “The Milan fans are some of the best in the world. They truly deserve better. They travel with us in the rain, and even when it’s freezing, you see them taking off their shirts, chanting and showing unwavering support. “Unfortunately, we let them down this season. I hope next season will be much better in Milan — winning the Scudetto, the Coppa Italia, and securing Champions League qualification to make up for everything,” he assured.

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