After finishing third in the league behind Napoli and Inter, Atalanta’s coach Gian Piero Gasperini has set a clear condition for signing a new contract: at least two of Ademola Lookman, Ederson, or Mateo Retegui must remain at the club.
The experienced coach believes that the potential departure of Lookman, who was recently crowned Africa’s Best Player, can only be somewhat compensated if both Ederson and Retegui stay.
Having served as Atalanta’s head coach for the past nine years, Gasperini is considered one of the key architects—if not the most important—of the club’s recent success. Because of this, Atalanta may be reluctant to sell the Nigerian star.
However, Lookman is currently being linked with top European clubs such as Juventus, Newcastle United, Liverpool, and Manchester City. Other key players are also drawing interest from major teams.
Atalanta now faces the real possibility of losing both its star player and long-serving coach in the same summer. A new era could be on the horizon for the club.