Atletico Madrid have signed Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman from Atalanta for £30.3m. The 28-year-old becomes the first English-born player to have played in the Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A, and La Liga. Only 21 players have featured in all four leagues, and just three – Christian Poulsen, Justin Kluivert, and Stevan Jovetic – have played in all of Europe’s “big five” leagues.
Lookman has been in Serie A since 2022, scoring 55 goals and providing 27 assists for Atalanta. Highlights include a hat-trick in the 2024 Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen, securing the club’s first European trophy. That year, he was named African Footballer of the Year and finished 14th on the men’s Ballon d’Or shortlist.
Born in London, Lookman represented England at youth level, winning the Under-20 World Cup in 2017, before debuting for Nigeria in 2022. He began his career at Charlton Athletic, then moved to Everton, where he scored on his Premier League debut. After spells with RB Leipzig, Fulham, and Leicester City, he moved to Italy with Atalanta.
Atletico, currently third in La Liga and ten points behind Barcelona, confirmed Lookman has signed until June 2030. They also signed 20-year-old Mexico midfielder Obed Vargas from Seattle Sounders on a deal until 2030. Vargas made his MLS debut at 15, has won the Concacaf Champions League and Leagues Cup, and faced Atletico at the Fifa Club World Cup last summer.
