If the 2024/25 campaign was the season Ademola Lookman established himself among Europe’s elite with a historic Europa League final hat-trick, the CAF African Player of the Year award and months of transfer speculation, 2025/26 has become the season of expectation.
The Nigerian forward has entered a new chapter in his career, carrying the weight of heightened expectations while adapting to a new environment.
Yet, rather than slowing his momentum, Lookman has continued to deliver with goals, assists and performances that have kept him firmly on the radar of Europe’s biggest clubs.
From his prolific spell at Atalanta to his impact in Spain and the growing interest surrounding his future, Lookman’s journey remains one of the most compelling stories involving an African footballer ahead of the 2026/27 season.
Career numbers and 2025/26 metrics
Across his career in top five European leagues, Lookman has registered 60 goals and 27 assists in 233 league appearances, as well as 8 goals and 4 assists in 23 UEFA Champions League appearances.
In Serie A alone, he accumulated 41 goals and 18 assists in 105 appearances for Atalanta, cementing his reputation as one of the most efficient wide forwards in the Italian game across three seasons.
The number that resonated most loudly across European boardrooms, however, came in May 2024: a hat-trick in the Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen that delivered Atalanta their first major European title.
Lookman’s numbers in his debut half-season at Atlético Madrid in 2025/26 also speaks volumes, as the 28-year-old registered 9 goals and 3 assists in 24 appearances across all competitions since joining, emerging as one of the club’s most effective attacking outlets.
This included 4 La Liga goals alongside contributions in both the Copa del Rey and Champions League.
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In the Champions League, the UEFA official statistics portal records Lookman as making 12 appearances for Atlético, totalling 717 minutes, contributing 2 goals and 4 assists, maintaining a passing accuracy of 82.42%, and recording a top speed of 33.72 km/h.
The stats placed him firmly among the faster wide players in the competition, as he registered 24 total attempts in the competition, averaging 2 per game, and completed 25 dribbles across his 12 Champions League outings.
Lookman’s transfer window reality
Atlético paid approximately €35 million with a further €5 million in possible add-ons when they signed Lookman from Atalanta in February 2026, with the player committing on a contract running until June 2030.
Just months later, Atlético’s hierarchy are reportedly open to selling, having placed a €60 million valuation on the Nigerian as manager Diego Simeone prepares a significant squad overhaul for the 2026/27 campaign.
Arsenal and Manchester United have both tracked Lookman closely across recent transfer windows, and the development has placed several top European clubs on immediate alert.
Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, and Fenerbahçe are all understood to be monitoring the situation.
For Inter Milan and Juventus, Serie A’s financial restrictions following recent UEFA and Italian Football Federation regulatory interventions make reaching the €60 million valuation considerably more complicated.
