Atalanta CEO Luca Percassi has admitted that the club is struggling to retain two of its star players, Ademola Lookman and Teun Koopmeiners, as transfer interest mounts from top European clubs.

Lookman has attracted attention from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), while Juventus has expressed a strong desire to acquire Koopmeiners.

In light of these developments, both players requested to be excluded from Atalanta’s upcoming trip to Lecce, where they are scheduled to play at the Stadio Via del Mare.

Percassi, speaking to Sky Sport Italia, highlighted the club’s commitment to maintaining its identity and pursuing clear objectives, even in the face of challenging circumstances.

Atalanta players celebrate with the UEFA Europa League Trophy. (Photo by Charles McQuillan – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

“As my father always says, we are Atalanta, and we must retain our identity and have clear objectives,” he stated.

“Last season, for the first time, the coach, club, and directors aimed to keep all the key players who were central to our extraordinary campaign.”

Reflecting on the situation, Percassi acknowledged that the club was prepared for potential turbulence in the transfer market.

“We were aware there could be turbulence on the transfer market.

“We didn’t expect certain things to happen, but the club is prepared to invest. If there are opportunities, then we are prepared to take them, and we’ll see what happens over the next few days.”

Lookman, who scored 15 goals last season and played a pivotal role in Atalanta’s Europa League triumph, has reportedly been targeted by PSG as a potential replacement for Kylian Mbappé, who recently transferred to Real Madrid.

Despite the challenges, Percassi emphasized that the club is calm and focused on finding solutions.

“We are very relaxed because our idea, shared by the coach, club, and owners, was for the first time in our history not to let these important players go,” he said.

“We as a club have always respected our commitments and cannot wait for this transfer window to close, as it has reserved a few ugly surprises too, like Gianluca Scamacca’s injury.”

Percassi concluded by reiterating that the final decisions will be made with the club’s best interests in mind.

“All players belong to Atalanta, and the club will decide what to do for the good of this team,” he affirmed.