Fenerbahçe president Sadettin Saran has revealed that the club came close to signing Ademola Lookman from Atalanta prior to his move to Atlético Madrid in the winter transfer window.

The Yellow Canaries reportedly tabled a €35 million bid for the former CAF African Footballer of the Year, but the deal fell through due to a disagreement over financial guarantees between the two clubs.

The 28-year-old eventually signed for La Liga giants Atlético Madrid, penning a four-and-a-half-year deal with Diego Simeone’s side.

Fenerbahçe chief Saran has disclosed that Atalanta preferred Atlético Madrid over them due to the reputation of Turkish clubs struggling to pay transfer fees.

“On December 19, as soon as my foreign ban was lifted, I went to Milan for Lookman and met his manager,” Saran stated, as quoted by Star (Turkey newspaper).

“Everything went very well. Then we spoke with Atalanta officials and things were positive, but later they asked for a letter of guarantee because they said Turkish clubs sometimes struggle with payments.”

“We told them we owe no one and that we would pay everything. Lookman spoke with our coach two or three times and he wanted to come.”

“Atalanta came again asking for the guarantee. They didn’t want to give the transfer to us — they preferred Atlético Madrid. That’s how the process ended.”

WDN