Ademola Lookman’s proposed move from Atalanta to Inter Milan stole the headlines for several weeks in the summer of 2025, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Nigeria international appeared destined for San Siro after agreeing personal terms with Inter and giving his approval to the project being built by new manager Christian Chivu.
Everything seemed to be moving in the right direction. Lookman wanted the move, Inter wanted the player, and Chivu had already designed a tactical role that would maximise the forward’s pace, dribbling ability and eye for goal.
Yet despite weeks of negotiations, the deal never happened.
A stubborn Atalanta board, a major disagreement over valuation and weeks of growing tension eventually caused the deal to collapse. Less than a year later, Inter celebrated one of the most successful seasons in their modern history, winning both Serie A and the Coppa Italia without the player they had spent weeks trying to sign.
Ademola Lookman to Inter: The transfer that came so close before falling apart
By July 2025, Lookman had effectively done everything required from his side to complete the move.
The former Leicester City and RB Leipzig forward had agreed personal terms with Inter and was prepared to sign a contract running until June 2030. Reports in Italy suggested the deal would have earned him around €4 million per season, while the prospect of playing under Chivu at San Siro strongly appealed to him.
Inter viewed Lookman as one of the best attacking players in Italy. His performances for Atalanta, particularly during their remarkable European adventures in previous seasons, had convinced the Nerazzurri hierarchy that he was capable of taking their attack to another level.
However, Atalanta had no intention of making life easy for a domestic rival.
The Bergamo club placed a valuation of between €50 million and €55 million on the Nigerian and refused to negotiate below that figure. Inter’s opening proposal, reportedly worth €40 million, was immediately rejected. A second offer worth €42 million plus €3 million in bonuses followed, but Atalanta remained unmoved.
Club chief executive Luca Percassi and the Atalanta leadership maintained that they would not offer discounts to a direct Serie A competitor. There were also reports that a gentlemen’s agreement existed that would have allowed Lookman to leave only for a club outside Italy.
As negotiations stalled, frustration began to grow. Lookman reportedly submitted a transfer request and openly expressed his unhappiness. He missed several weeks of first-team training and removed Atalanta-related content from his social media accounts. Despite attracting interest from other clubs, including a lucrative approach from Arsenal, he continued to prioritise a move to Inter.
The standoff lasted throughout August, but neither side blinked. Atalanta refused to lower their asking price, while Inter decided they would not exceed their budget. Eventually, the Milan giants walked away from negotiations, bringing one of the summer’s biggest transfer stories to an abrupt end.
The role Christian Chivu had reserved for Ademola Lookman
What made the failed move particularly fascinating was how highly Chivu rated the Nigerian.
The Romanian coach had arrived at Inter with fresh ideas and saw Lookman as a key piece of his attacking puzzle. Rather than using him as a traditional winger, Chivu planned to deploy him as a hybrid forward operating behind Lautaro Martinez or Marcus Thuram.
The idea was to give Lookman freedom. He would have occupied spaces between midfield and attack, collecting possession in dangerous areas before driving directly at defenders. His ability to dribble past opponents and accelerate into open spaces would have offered Inter a different attacking dimension from the one they possessed under previous managers.
Chivu also wanted to recreate some of the attacking patterns that had made Lookman so effective at Atalanta.
The Nigerian would frequently drift into the left half-space, drawing defenders out of position and opening room for Federico Dimarco to overlap from wing-back. Those movements could have created a dangerous partnership on Inter’s left side, combining Lookman’s direct running with Dimarco’s crossing quality.
Perhaps most importantly, Chivu believed Lookman could solve one of Inter’s biggest tactical issues.
Against teams defending deep, Inter often lacked a player capable of carrying the ball long distances and breaking defensive lines through individual skill. Lookman’s pace and dribbling would have provided exactly that. Instead of relying solely on patient passing moves, Inter would have possessed a weapon capable of turning defensive situations into immediate attacking opportunities.
The coach even envisioned him becoming a third goalscoring threat alongside Lautaro and Thuram, arriving late in the penalty area and attacking spaces created by the movement of the two strikers. It was an ambitious plan and one that never got the chance to be tested.
How Inter won the double without their dream signing
When Lookman’s transfer collapsed in late August, Chivu was forced to adapt quickly. Rather than searching endlessly for a direct replacement, he reshaped the structure of his team. The changes proved inspired.
Marcus Thuram began dropping deeper during build-up play, creating spaces for Lautaro Martinez to attack. Federico Dimarco was given greater creative responsibility and developed into one of the league’s most influential players. Meanwhile, Inter’s midfield trio of Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan pressed opponents aggressively, winning possession higher up the pitch and reducing the need for a player like Lookman to launch counter-attacks.
The tactical adjustments transformed Inter into the most dominant team in Italy.
They finished the Serie A season with 89 goals, the highest total in the division, and wrapped up the Scudetto on May 3, 2026, after defeating Parma 2-0 at San Siro. Goals from Marcus Thuram and Henrikh Mkhitaryan secured the victory that confirmed Inter’s 21st league title with three matches remaining.
The final standings showed their superiority. Inter collected 87 points from 38 matches, finishing 11 points clear of defending champions Napoli.
Their success did not stop there. Just ten days after securing the league crown, Inter travelled to Rome for the Coppa Italia final against Lazio. An own goal forced by Thuram and a finish from captain Lautaro Martinez secured a comfortable 2-0 victory and delivered the club’s 10th Coppa Italia trophy.
The domestic double was Inter’s first since the glory days of José Mourinho’s legendary side in 2010.
Individual honours followed. Chivu was named Serie A Coach of the Season after guiding the club to two trophies in his first campaign. Dimarco collected the award for Serie A’s Best Player, while Lautaro Martinez was recognised as the league’s Best Forward.
Meanwhile, Lookman’s own story took a different path. After the failed transfer saga and a difficult return to Atalanta, he eventually left Italy in February 2026 to join Atlético Madrid. The Super Eagles star missed out on major honours in Spain, as Atlético lost the Copa del Rey final, finished far behind Barcelona in La Liga and crumbled to Arsenal in the Champions League semi-final.
Yet even as Inter celebrated a historic season, the question lingered. Had Lookman arrived at San Siro, would Inter have become even stronger, or did the failed transfer ultimately force Chivu to discover a winning formula that might otherwise never have existed?
It is a question that will continue to intrigue Inter and Nigeria fans alike for years to come.
