Arsenal have ‘restarted negotiations’ with Ademola Looman over a move to the Emirates this summer while a report claims the Gunners are ‘squeezing’ for an alternative winger.
The Gunners look to have missed out on Nico Williams, who’s nearing a move to Barcelona from Athletic Bilbao, and although Real Madrid’s Rodrygo remains the ‘dream’ for Mikel Arteta amid doubts over his future under new boss Xabi Alonso, sporting director Andrea Berta is in talks with other left wing options.
Arsenal were said to be keen on signing Lookman last summer when Atalanta managed to retain the services of the former Everton and Fulham forward, but the 27-year-old is now thought to be pushing for the exit despite Gian Piero Gasperini leaving Atalanta for Roma.
Lookman hit out at his former boss over his ‘disrespectful’ claim that Lookman is “one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen”, and although his manager was thought to be one of the key reasons the Nigeria international wanted to leave the club, the arrival of Ivan Juric to replace Gasperini appears not to have altered his stance.
And he may well end up at Arsenal, who have ‘restarted negotiations with Atalanta for Lookman’, with the Serie A side setting an asking price of €45-50m [£38-43m] plus add-ons, according to CaughtOffside.
Liverpool have also ‘been keeping an eye on him’ amid doubts over the futures of Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo, ‘but Arsenal remained the most likely candidates and have now restarted those talks with an aim to do a deal this summer’.
The move for Lookman – who got 20 goals and seven assists in all competitions last term – would delight Arsenal legend Ian Wright, who picked out the winger as his ideal transfer for his beloved Gunners.
Wright said: “I’m going to go with Ademola Lookman winning the African Player of the Year in respects of that man’s journey.
“I remember him from Charlton, it didn’t worth out £10 million to Everton, then moving all over the place, the journey from loan to this, then I think that’s one of the most devastating performances I’ve seen in any final with that hat-trick he scored.
“I hope we can buy him, Arsenal. I would love someone like him to come back to the Premier League and say, ‘listen, I have unfinished business here so I am going to help Arsenal win the league’.
“But I just admire his journey and now he’s recognised rightly as a top player, unbelievable.”
But Berta is spreading the net wide and Spanish outlet Fichajes claim he is also ‘squeezing’ for the signing of Borussia Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi.
It’s claimed the 23-year-old – who got 12 goals and nine assists in all competitions last season – is a ‘serious alternative’ and ‘not an emergency solution’ for Arsenal.
Indeed, the report goes as far as saying he’s ‘the chosen one’ to reinforce Arteta’s attack should they ultimately fail to land Williams, which appears to be the case.