Chelsea legend Didier Drogba has stepped into the tense transfer saga between Atalanta and Ademola Lookman, personally delivering a 50-page petition from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to the Italian club demanding a “fair and transparent” resolution to the dispute.
According to African Hub, Drogba arrived in Italy in recent hours to present the formal document to Atalanta’s hierarchy. The move comes amid fears from CAF that the Nigerian international, and reigning African Footballer of the Year, could be frozen out if the standoff with his current club continues.
Lookman, who has been pushing for a move to Inter Milan throughout the summer, is understood to have had a personal agreement with the Nerazzurri for weeks. Inter have tabled two bids for the forward, but both have been rejected by Atalanta, who appear reluctant to part with one of their most influential players.
Frustrated by the impasse, Lookman submitted a transfer request and issued a public statement claiming the club had previously assured him he would be allowed to leave. In a further sign of the breakdown in relations, the former Leicester City and Fulham attacker recently removed all references to Atalanta from his social media profiles.
CAF’s intervention, fronted by Drogba, is aimed at avoiding a situation where Lookman is left “divorced in-house” still under contract but sidelined from competitive action, a scenario the governing body believes could harm both the player’s career and African football’s reputation.
Lookman, 27, has been a standout performer for Atalanta since joining in 2022, playing a pivotal role in their domestic and European campaigns. However, with Inter pushing to secure his signature before the close of the transfer window, the coming days could prove decisive in determining whether this high-profile Serie A tug-of-war ends in reconciliation or departure.
