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Newcastle are said to be considering a move to sign Atalanta star Ademola Lookman in the summer transfer window.
This is according to the latest report from TEAMtalk, who claim that the Magpies have joined Man United in the race to sign the highly-rated attacker.
Gasperini’s public criticism of Ademola Lookman fuels exit rumours
This comes after the player came under a surprise attack from his own manager last week, who publicly called him for missing a penalty in the Champions League Knockout play-off vs Club Brugge.
After the game, manager Gasperini threw the club’s Europa League hero from last season under the bus in his post-match interview, labelling him as “one of the worst penalty takers”.
He told the media:
“Ademola Lookman is one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen,” he said.
“He wanted to take the penalty after scoring a goal, he took the ball despite Retegui and De Keteleare available to take it.
“I didn’t like what Lookman did.”
This was not taken well by the star attacker, who responded to his manager’s ‘disrespectful’ comments by issuing the following statement on his social media (as reported by BBC):
“Being singled out in the manner I have been not only hurts but feels deeply disrespectful, not least because of the immense hard work and commitment I have always put in each and every day to help bring success to this club and to the incredible fans of Bergamo.”
Newcastle face strong competition from top Premier League clubs
Newcastle will face strong competition for his signature. Apart from Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal have also been linked with a move for the 27-year-old.
It has been reported that both the Reds and Arsenal have held talks over a potential summer move, with their interest said to be the most advanced at the moment.
Lookman has been sensational since his move to Italy, having racked up 49 goals and 23 assists in 107 games for Atalanta across all competitions. He played a crucial part in the club’s Europa League triumph last season, notably scoring a hat-trick in the final against Bayer Leverkusen.
It remains to be seen if the Magpies can successfully beat the strong competition from their Premier League rivals to secure his signature. If they do, it will be a massive statement signing from Newcastle.