What did Atalanta pay for Ademola Lookman? Contract, price as Europa League final heroics spark transfer talk around Nigeria star

Ademola Lookman was the name on everyone's lips after Atalanta defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the 2024 UEFA Europa League final.

The Nigeria international scored all three goals as Gian Piero Gasperini's side won their first major trophy since 1963 and brought an end to Leverkusen's remarkable 51-game unbeaten run in all competitions.

Lookman was a livewire throughout the contest in Dublin, as he became the sixth player in history to score a hat-trick in a major European club final, and only the fourth to do so in single-legged title matches after Real Madrid greats Ferenc Puskas (twice) and Alfredo Di Stefano, and AC Milan's Pierino Prati.

The 26-year-old Lookman, who had never reached double figures for goals in a single season before 2022/23, has now hit 15 in consecutive seasons with Atalanta. "In the past two years I've been able to take my game to a new level and show it on a more consistent basis," he said. "Maybe it could have come earlier but it's come now. I'm pleased with the progress I've made but this is just the beginning. I hope for more nights like this."

3 - Ademola #Lookman is only the second player to score a hat-trick in the final of a major European competition for an Italian side, after Pierino Prati in Milan against Ajax in the 1969 European Cup. Legendary.#UELFinal #AtaLev pic.twitter.com/bzbPdFn3IE

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) May 22, 2024

His performance is only likely to spark additional transfer rumours ahead of the opening of the next window. The Sporting News looks at his contract status with Atalanta and just how much the Serie A side paid to sign him.

MORE: Who has won the most Europa League titles in history?

What did Atalanta pay for Ademola Lookman?

Atalanta signed Lookman from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig in August 2022. The reported transfer fee was €15 million.

The deal was something of a gamble, even at a relatively modest price tag, given the winger had not quite developed as hoped under Julian Nagelsmann at Leipzig and had spent time back in England on loan at Fulham and Leicester City. That ended up being the key to his move to Bergamo.

"We had a senior manager at Atalanta [Lee Congerton] who had worked at Leicester, who saw the opportunity to bring him in and thought he was a possible useful player," Gasperini recalled.

"Nobody could ever imagine he'd could make this much progress. He wasn't overly prolific in England. I changed his position to a more attacking role. [In the final] he achieved something that will remain in the annals of football history — a stunning hat-trick."

Which clubs are interested in Ademola Lookman?

Transfer rumours around Lookman are likely to explode following his Europa League performance, although he had already been linked with some major clubs.

In February, both Juventus and Atletico Madrid were credited with interest, with The Sun claiming the Italian and Spanish giants had been impressed by Lookman's form for Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Ademola Lookman contract, salary at Atalanta

Lookman's contract with Atalanta is believed to run until June 30, 2026.

According to Capology, he earns a base salary of €2.31 million per year, which works out as €44,423 per week. That puts him about eighth on Atalanta's list of biggest wages, with Gianluca Scamacca top at around €114,000 per week (€5.93 million per year).

Lookman's wages are low compared to some of the other stars who share his accolade at being awarded a rare 10/10 rating in a match from French football magazine L'Equipe.

How many players got 10/10 from L'Equipe?

L'Equipe is renowned for its rather ruthless player ratings and very rarely bestows the honour of a perfect 10 upon anyone. Lookman's Europa League final heroics saw him join that list.

These are the only players ever to receive 10/10 from L'Equipe's player ratings. Only two, Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland, have managed it twice.

How many games did Ademola Lookman play for Everton and Fulham?

Lookman signed for Everton from Charlton in January 2017 for a reported initial fee of £7.5 million. He enjoyed a famous debut, scoring his side's fourth goal as a substitute in a 4-0 win over Manchester City in Pep Guardiola's first season in charge.

Ademola Lookman has scored more goals in this Europa League final than he did in three seasons of Premier League football with Everton 😳 pic.twitter.com/5pkphWYuOI — ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) May 22, 2024

Lookman played 48 times in total for Everton before joining RB Leipzig on a permanent transfer in 2019. He returned to the Premier League on a loan deal at Fulham for 2020/21, scoring five goals in 35 appearances in all competitions.

He spent the 2021/22 season with Leicester City, where he scored eight times in 42 games before his transfer to Atalanta.

Where was Ademola Lookman born? Parents, early life

Ademola Olajade Alade Aylola Lookman was born in Wandsworth, a district of south London, U.K., on October 20, 1997. His parents are both Nigerian.

Lookman went to school in Peckham and achieved very good grades, but a career in football beckoned after he joined the Charlton Athletic youth academy in 2014 from previous team Waterloo, making his first-team debut for the club as an 18-year-old on November 3, 2015.