Ademola Lookman will miss Atalanta’s Champions League opener against Paris Saint-Germain, as the Nigeria forward remains sidelined following a prolonged attempt to leave the Serie A club, coach Ivan Juric confirmed on Sunday.
Atalanta prepared for Wednesday’s clash with the European champions in Paris by beating Lecce 4-1 without Lookman, who has not featured this season after unsuccessfully trying to force a move to Inter Milan during the summer. This marks the second consecutive year in which Lookman has sought to leave the club, having attempted to join PSG after helping Atalanta win the Europa League in 2024.
“I don’t think so; it’s an unpleasant situation,” Juric said when asked if Lookman would travel to the French capital. “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.”
London-born Lookman has become one of Europe’s standout players since joining Atalanta three years ago, following a mixed early career in England and Germany. The 27-year-old has scored 52 goals in 117 matches for Atalanta, famously netting a hat-trick in last year’s Europa League final when the Bergamo club secured their first European trophy by defeating Bayer Leverkusen 3-0.
Lookman scored 20 goals in all competitions last season, with five coming in seven Champions League appearances. However, he strained his relationship with the club by abandoning team training, hoping that Inter would meet Atalanta’s asking price of €50 million. That did not materialise, and Lookman, whose contract runs until the end of June 2027, was compelled to return to Atalanta, where he has since been sidelined by Juric, who succeeded Gian Piero Gasperini.
Atalanta remains unbeaten in their opening three matches this season without Lookman and currently sit sixth in the table, one point behind Gasperini’s new team, Roma, who suffered a shock 1-0 home defeat to Torino earlier on Sunday. Charles De Ketelaere scored twice in the second half, with Giorgio Scalvini and Nicola Zalewski adding Atalanta’s other goals.
