Nigeria international Ademola Lookman has reportedly given his consent to joining Saudi Pro League club Al Ittihad.
Lookman has attracted interest from top European clubs thanks to his impressive performances, highlighted by a remarkable display against Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the UEFA Europa League final.
Leverkusen came incredibly close to going through the entire 2023/24 season without defeat in all competitions — until, that is, they encountered Lookman.
The 26-year-old has in the past weeks been linked with English Premier clubs, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool and German giants, Bayern Munich and, latterly, Juventus.
However, Italian journalist Rudy Galetti reports that the Atalanta player might instead seek new opportunities in Saudi Arabia after agreeing to Al Ittihad's $15 million per season deal.
Galetti further reports that it is now up to Atalanta and Al Ittihad to agree on a transfer fee to finalise the deal. Atalanta is not satisfied with the $35 million bid from the Saudi club, valuing Lookman at €60 million as per Caclio Mercato.
Ademola Lookman to become Nigeria's highest-earning footballer?
The Super Eagles forward joined Atalanta in August 2022 on a four-year deal for a reported fee of €15 million and earns a salary of €2.3 million per year with the Bergamo club.
If the Al Ittihad deal goes through, Lookman would become the highest-earning Nigerian footballer.
Victor Osimhen, the reigning African Footballer of the Year, is currently the highest-earning Nigerian footballer, with a salary of €10 million per year at Napoli.
Since moving from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig to Atalanta, Ademola Lookman has netted 32 goals in 78 appearances across various competitions for La Dea. His existing contract with Atalanta runs until 2026.
Lookman was named Atalanta's Player of the Season for the second consecutive time, beating teammates Éderson and Teun Koopmeiners to the award after a season that has seen him collect medals in all but one of the competitions he has featured in for club and country, averaging more than one goal involvement every other game.
