Atalanta Coach Gasperini Shares Key Update on Lookman’s Future After Ballon d’Or Award

• Super Eagles star Ademola Lookman finishes 14th on the final rankings of the 2024 Ballon d'Or award
• The Atalanta forward turned up at the award ceremony in the company of his father and club head coach
• Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini has provided a major update on the Nigerian forward’s future

Ademola Lookman's future became a key topic shortly after the Ballon d'Or Award ceremony, in which he was named in the 30-man shortlist.

Lookman had a remarkable 2024 for club and country, scoring a hat trick that won Atalanta the UEFA Europa League and helping Nigeria reach the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

As noted by Ballon d'Or on X, he finished 14th on the final rankings of the Golden Ball Award and was the only African male footballer nominated this year.

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The Confederation of African Football CAF also nominated him for the 2024 Men's Player of the Year Award after his exploits at AFCON 2023 in Ivory Coast.

Gasperini's update on Lookman's future

Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini, who was at the Ballon d'Or event with the Nigerian, has opened up on what transpired over Lookman's future last summer and admitted he could be nearing the end of his time in Bergamo.

“Lookman tempted in the summer by PSG? No, it was not a good moment. And who knows, maybe certain hypotheses will recur, hopefully not in January. But in the meantime, now, it is only important that he is ‘inside’ the team,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

He was one of the players Paris Saint-Germain had under consideration after Kylian Mbappe’s departure and failure to sign compatriot Victor Osimhen from Napoli.

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The 27-year-old was excluded from the team in the season's first two matches during PSG’s approach after the Ligue 1 giants offered him a 200% wage increase.

Atalanta’s plans for Lookman's future

Briefly News reported that Atalanta devised a strategy for Lookman's future as they prepare for his inevitable departure after three seasons at the Italian Serie A club.

The club have set a benchmark asking price and identified a list of younger potential targets to spend half the money on as they aim to revitalise the squad after his exit.

Source: Legit.ng