Ademola Lookman has officially completed his transfer to Atletico Madrid from Atalanta, becoming the second most expensive Nigerian footballer in history.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Spanish club confirmed the signing on Monday, just hours before the close of the 2026 winter transfer window in Europe.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Atletico paid a €35 million fixed fee plus €5 million in add-ons for the 28-year-old winger. The deal places Lookman behind only Victor Osimhen, whose transfers involving Napoli and Galatasaray were valued at over €70 million.
Lookman has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with the Rojiblancos and will remain at the Wanda Metropolitano until June 2030.
Stormy Atalanta exit
The Super Eagles forward arrived in Madrid on Sunday to complete his medicals, after earlier links to Fenerbahce in Turkey.
In recent months, Lookman had endured a turbulent relationship with Atalanta, the club he famously led to the Europa League title with a hat-trick in the final.
In August 2025, he deleted all Atalanta-related posts from his Instagram page in what was widely seen as an attempt to force a move.
Atalanta had earlier rejected a €42 million plus €3 million add-ons bid from Inter Milan, insisting that their asking price was €60 million, despite reports that Lookman had already agreed personal terms with the Nerazzurri.
The winger later refused to resume pre-season training and only returned to the squad in mid-September as the transfer saga dragged on.
