Atalanta coach Ivan Juric has confirmed that Ademola Lookman will be available for Saturday’s Serie A showdown with Juventus, as the Nigeria international continues his reintegration following a turbulent summer.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday, Juric said both Lookman and Charles De Ketelaere will be part of the squad for the trip to Turin.
“We will have De Ketelaere with us tomorrow,” Juric noted. “He’s training well, and slowly, we will try to get him back to full strength.”
Lookman made his first appearance of the season last weekend, coming on as an 87th-minute substitute against Torino after months of uncertainty surrounding his future.
The 27-year-old had pushed for a move away during the summer, with Inter Milan showing initial interest before pulling out over his valuation. Tensions escalated when Lookman accused Atalanta’s management of unfair treatment on social media and briefly left for the UK to train alone.
With no deal materialising, the forward returned to training just days before the new campaign began. Juric later revealed that Lookman addressed the squad directly about the episode, admitting he had been misled by poor advice.
“He spoke to me and the team on Monday,” Juric explained after the Torino match. “He was surrounded by people who had given him some bad advice. He has a great winning mentality, and now we need to get him back in shape physically.”
According to Italian reports, Atalanta now consider the matter closed and have no intention of selling Lookman in January, instead planning to keep him for the entire season.
