Former Liverpool coach reveals how he missed out on signing Ademola Lookman

• Ademola Lookman has developed into one of football's finest attackers since bursting onto the scene with Charlton Athletic
• The Nigerian forward, who continues to dazzle for Italian Serie A outfit, Atalanta, was recently nominated for the 2024 edition of the Ballon d'Or
• Former Liverpool manager, Brendan Rodgers, has detailed how he missed out on signing Lookman during his formative years

Ademola Lookman’s rise in football has been nothing short of meteoric since he first burst onto the scene with Charlton Athletic in 2015.

The marquee Nigerian forward has developed into one of the finest attackers in football today.

The Atalanta forward, who was named Player of the Match in last season's UEFA Europa League final, has continued where he left off and was recently nominated for the 2024 Ballon d'Or award.

Ademola Lookman during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League match between FC Shakhtar Donetsk and Atalanta BC at Veltins Arena on October 2, 2024. Image: Max Maiwald.
Source: Getty Images

However, ahead of Atalanta's UEFA Champions League fixture against Celtic, coach Brendan Rodgers recalled how he missed out on signing a young Lookman during his formative years.

Brenda Rodgers speaks on signing Lookman

In his pre-match press conference ahead of Celtic’s clash with Atalanta, the Northern Irish manager shared how he came close to signing Lookman.

The former Liverpool boss detailed that while a verbal agreement had been reached, the transfer ultimately fell through due to Charlton Athletic's high asking price.

Speaking to as captured by The National, Rodgers explained:

“How close was he to signing? Very close, in fact. He was excited by the project at Celtic. I met him in a hotel in London, and we were trying to convince him to join. Unfortunately, we couldn’t meet Charlton's financial demands."The club did everything possible at the time. Lookman was keen to join a big club and didn’t feel any of the pressures that might have held him back. But Charlton was determined to get the maximum transfer fee for him. From a personal standpoint, we had good conversations, and he and his representatives were clear on that."In the end, it was the financial aspect that stopped the deal. I think he eventually moved to Everton for around £11 million. It just slipped away from us. Financially, the fee was a challenge, but we could have handled wages and everything else. The player was eager at the time, and that’s as close as we got.”

Lookman has since flourished, being named Atalanta's Player of the Year in consecutive seasons. He’s picked up where he left off, with six goals involvements in eight matches across all competitions, according to FotMob data.

The Nigerian forward is also a frontrunner for the African Player of the Year award.

Lookman reacts to Ballon d'Or nomination

Legit.ng reported Lookman's reaction to his Ballon d'Or nomination after he was named in the 30-man shortlist for football’s most coveted individual award last month.

The Atalanta forward became the eighth Nigerian footballer to feature on the list, the only African male footballer to make this year's shortlist after an impressive season in Bergamo.

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Source: Legit.ng