Italian Serie A champions Napoli will not pursue Nigeria international forward Ademola Lookman as a replacement for Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, who departed the club during the January transfer window.
Napoli’s head coach, Antonio Conte, holds the Nigerian player in high regard, as Lookman followed an impressive season with another stellar performance last term, netting 20 goals and contributing seven assists across all competitions for Atalanta.
Atalanta is open to his transfer but is demanding a fee of over €50 million, excluding bonuses, as they seek to maximize their earnings from his expected exit.
In contrast, Napoli considers this fee to be excessive, particularly since Lookman is closer to 30 than 25 years old, indicating he lacks resale potential.
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A cash-plus-player deal is another option; however, the champions are already looking into acquiring Italian forward Federico Chiesa, who won the English Premier League title with Liverpool while on loan from Juventus last season.
The 27-year-old Lookman, who was recently named Africa Player of the Year, has garnered interest from clubs in England, Spain, and Germany, who are monitoring his situation at Atalanta.
In the meantime, Antonio Conte has instructed sporting director Giovanni Manna to expedite transfer negotiations.
The coach aims to have two starting players for each position ready before the start of preseason training camps.
