I won the Europa League but I fell out with my manager - now I could sign for Aston Villa in £55m escape

Rewind to last May and Ademola Lookman was destined for the stars.

Atalanta had just clinched their first silverware since 1963 in historic fashion and Lookman played a talismanic role, scoring a tremendous hat-trick in the Europa League final, putting an abrupt end to Bayer Leverkusen’s season-long unbeaten streak.

Lookman, the first ever play to score three goals in such a fixture, was primed for a huge transfer - much like when a player reaches stardom at a World Cup or major continental championship - but it didn’t come for him. Never mind, eh. It could be worse than playing Champions League football with Atalanta in the beautiful Italian city of Bergamo, right?

On the surface, staying wasn’t at all a bad solution. And it really shouldn’t have been. But what has happened so far this season has really made all those involved question why Lookman wasn’t allowed to leave for bigger and better things. It now looks like he could make his move in the summer instead.

Relationship with Gasperini in tatters

It all began going a little downhill for Lookman in the summer when he was tapped up by Paris Saint-Germain ahead of a possible transfer. Atalanta and Gasperini were furious with both PSG and Lookman for discussing a deal before contacting the club first.

The downward spiral continued in October as Lookman was taken off at half time by Gasperini in a Serie A clash with Venezia; the head coach felt his winger hadn’t made a strong enough impact. Lookman, prided on his star-man status, was angered by even the thought of being replaced 45 minutes into a game and responded with two goals and two assists in the following outing.

Troubles worsened on February 18 when Atalanta were knocked out of the Champions League by Club Brugge as Lookman, who had scored earlier in the game, took and missed a penalty despite striker Mateo Retegui being the designated taker. Atalanta were already 5-1 down on aggregate when the spot-kick was awarded, but it could’ve been a turning point in the game had it been scored.

Immediately after that most recent incident, Gasperini controversially said: “Ademola Lookman is one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen. He wanted to take the penalty after scoring a goal and he took the ball despite Retegui and (Charles) De Keteleare being available. I didn’t like what Lookman did.”

Infuriated by the public nature of Gasperini’s complaints, Lookman then took matters into his own hands. “Being singled out in the manner I have been not only hurts but feels deeply disrespectful, not least because of the immense hard work and commitment I have always put in,” Lookman published on his Instagram page.

“In truth, I have dealt with many difficult moments during my team here - the majority of which I have never spoken about because in my opinion the team must always be protected and must come first. This makes what happened even more hurtful.”

Aston Villa could provide shock escape route

Transfer speculation is understandably rife as Lookman, who has scored 50 goals and made 22 assists in 112 appearances for Atalanta, has gained transfer interest from across Europe. A return to England - where he spent several years with Charlton Athletic, Everton, Fulham and Leicester City - could well be on the cards.

Caught Offside reports Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United are all interested in signing Lookman in the summer. Then there’s Villa, said to hold a strong interest in the Nigerian and hopeful he would join if they achieve Champions League qualification for a second successive season.

The report suggests Atalanta are seeking around €65 million (£55m) to let Lookman leave after knocking back offers in the region of £40 million last summer.