Former Serie A striker Nicola Ventola and ex-Inter Milan defender Daniele Adani have urged AS Roma to sign Nigeria international Ademola Lookman in the January transfer window and reunite him with his former manager Gian Piero Gasperini.
Lookman, who fell out with Atalanta over a failed summer transfer to Inter Milan, recently returned to the squad after weeks in exile following his decision to go AWOL. New Atalanta coach Ivan Jurić has stood firmly by the Nigerian during the saga, extending an olive branch and offering him a pathway back into the team.
Meanwhile, Gasperini, who previously managed Lookman at Atalanta, is now in charge of Roma and has made a flying start, guiding the Giallorossi to second place in Serie A, level on 15 points with leaders Inter after six games. Despite the strong start, he was unable to bring in some of his trusted players during the summer.
Ventola, who played for both Atalanta and Inter, believes Roma should seize the opportunity in January and make a move for Lookman.
“I think they’ll try. Lookman can change the team,” he said on the Viva El Fútbol podcast, per FootballItalia.
“If you have Lookman on one side and Soulé on the other, then Dovbyk would not struggle that much. I think Gasperini isn’t happy with what he has. He’s working, but his objective is to improve the team with more suitable players for his playing style. This is not his team.”
Adani echoed the sentiment, insisting Roma must do everything possible to land the Super Eagles star.
“Roma, if they can, must make an outstanding sacrifice to sign Lookman because I’m convinced they’ll remain up there until January,” the former defender said.
However, finances could prove to be a stumbling block. Reports suggest Roma need to raise around €90 million to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations, casting doubt on whether they can afford the move.
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