Sports News of Thursday, 11 September 2025

Source: soccernet.ng

Tottenham plot January move for unsettled Super Eagles star with 29 Nigeria caps

Wilfred Ndidi, Ola Aina and Ademola Lookman Wilfred Ndidi, Ola Aina and Ademola Lookman

Tottenham are preparing a renewed push to sign Ademola Lookman in January after failing to land the Atalanta striker on deadline day.

Thomas Frank, who took charge at Spurs this summer, is understood to be a long-time admirer of the Nigeria international and wants him as part of his rebuild in North London.

According to SportsBoom, Tottenham are preparing to make a £20million bid for Lookman when the window reopens, though the club faces competition from Inter Milan and Bayern Munich.

Lookman, 27, has been central to Atalanta’s rise under Gian Piero Gasperini, scoring 52 goals in 117 games and helping the club lift the Europa League last year.

But despite his success in Bergamo, the forward pushed for a move to Inter Milan in August, even skipping training in an effort to force the transfer through.

Despite Lookman handing in a transfer request, Atalanta refused to sell and are now attempting to reintegrate him into the squad.

The collapse of that deal has left Lookman, reigning Africa Footballer of the Year, unsettled. He is back from international duty with Nigeria and expected to return to training this week, though he has yet to agree to the contract extension Atalanta are pressing him to sign.

Spurs sense an opening. With Lookman entering the final years of the five-year deal he signed in 2022, Atalanta may be forced to consider offers in January rather than risk unrest in the dressing room.

For Tottenham, Lookman would bring both goals and Premier League know-how. The Super Eagles forward previously played for Everton, Fulham, and Leicester, where he scored six goals in 26 appearances in the 2021–22 season.

After netting 20 goals and registering seven assists in all competitions last term, Lookman’s stock in Europe has rarely been higher. But with his relationship with Atalanta under strain, Spurs believe the timing is right to finally get their man.