Napoli, all about Lookman: 50 million ready but Atalanta asks for more

How do you ignite an ambitious project? With quality moves. Which are not only useful for dreaming, but also to feel stronger. And the arrival of Kevin De Bruyne in Naples was only the first message that Aurelio De Laurentiis and Antonio Conte wanted to send to the blue people and their rivals. The owner and the coach think big, they also want to compete in Europe after the unexpected championship of last season. For this reason, the sporting director Giovanni Manna was given the mandate to analyze every profile that can take Napoli to another dimension, that can enrich the squad with talent, international experience and personality. Aiming for the top, to stay at the top: this is De Laurentiis' summer mission, ready to please his coach in everything, starting from the mistake that had put the relationship between the two in crisis after the January transfer market. Kvara's farewell, without an adequate replacement, had put the project in crisis. Which has now started again. With the desire to build a super Napoli.

De Laurentiis and Manna will not stop at De Bruyne, they want to give Conte another super signing in attack, the one they failed to pull off in January. And at the top of the list of Azzurri wishlists for the role of winger in the trident has long been Ademola Lookman, who wants a new professional experience and to play in a club with ambitions of success, that can fight to win the championship and guarantee him a high-level international showcase. Lookman is looking for an ambitious project, just like the one they are planning in Naples. Atalanta is ready to accept offers, without preclusions. The Goddess would not want to give up the African Golden Ball, but does not want to get to a clash either. Faced with an unmissable offer, Lookman can leave and the Goddess is asking for 60 million euros. A significant figure, but one that does not seem to discourage Napoli's intentions: for a top signing in attack, a budget of at least 50 million is ready.

Napoli will clarify their ideas in the next few days and then they will start the assault on the Nigerian, perhaps trying to find a discount compared to the Goddess' request. But it will also be important to understand the real intentions of Lookman, who last summer dreamed of PSG and who now - like many - is waiting for the Premier League, and has admirers in Spain. But Napoli - this Napoli - is a project that also intrigues the great champions and the arrivals of McTominay, Lukaku and De Bruyne, in addition to the presence of Conte, are a guarantee for those who still had doubts. The Azzurri want to honor the Scudetto and intend to build a battleship that can last over time, start a cycle to become a coveted destination and no longer a passing one. And Lookman would be the perfect player to fit into the new Azzurri mosaic.

Ademola signed the first home defeat of the Conte era last year, with a brace of power and quality that silenced Maradona. And even in the return match, in the Azzurri victory in Bergamo, Lookman was a nightmare for Napoli's defense for a long time. Sprints, bursts and dribbling in series, what Conte is looking for today to strengthen his attack. Because Napoli, champion of Italy, will have to learn to dominate matches, to be aggressive and balanced. Lookman attacks like few others but with Gasp he has also learned to work without the ball, a necessary condition to get along with Conte. Of course, Lookman is a teammate and friend of Osimhen, who is still owned by Napoli but who ended his experience in Campania badly. It is difficult to understand whether this could influence the eventual choice of the attacker. Certainly not that of Napoli: full steam ahead on Lookman. The right man to continue flying.