Lookman still on Liverpool’s radar

Atalanta star Ademola Lookman has been linked with a move to Liverpool again as the Premier League leaders look ahead to the summer when there could be a series of major overhauls at Anfield, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Liverpool hold a 15-point gap at the top of the Premier League table and their attention is said to be in the summer market already with some of their stars likely to depart.

Top on that list is Mohamed Salah, who is yet to be offered a new contract by the club as well as defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil Van Dijk.

Additionally, there are suggestions that the likes of Darwin Nunez, Andrew Robertson, Kostas Tsimikas and even Diogo Jota could be moved on if appropriate offers arrive in the summer.

According to Foot Mercato (via Calciomercato.com), Lookman is an option for Liverpool’s attacking department in the summer and could be available for a slightly cheaper fee in the region of €60m from Atalanta this summer.

Lookman’s departure from Atalanta is also imminent, going by the recent fallout between him and manager Gian Gasperini, despite having two years remaining on his contract.

Lookman’s stock has risen significantly since joining La Dea, with his historic hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen in last season’s Europa League final securing Atalanta’s first-ever European trophy and helping him claim the CAF African Footballer of the Year award in December.

As per Football Italia, the Reds see Lookman as a viable option due to his market value with their other targets; Newcastle’s Alexander Isak is reportedly valued in the region of €200m as well as Hugo Ekitike of Eintracht Frankfurt who is also valued at around €80m by the Bundesliga outfit.

The Nigeria international has already played in the Premier League having joined Liverpool’s Merseyside rivals Everton from Charlton Athletic in 2017. He has also played for both Fulham and Leicester City while on loan from RB Leipzig.

Lookman, the reigning African Player of the Year, is currently the joint-third highest goalscorer in Serie A this term with 13 goals and five assists from 22 league outings.

He also had seven-goal involvements from seven games in the Champions League, (five goals and two assists) before the Italian side were eliminated in the playoffs.