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Beşiktaş President Meets Ademola Lookman’s Representatives as January Rebuild Begins

Published

2 months ago

8:41 am

Beşiktaş President Meets Ademola Lookman’s Representatives as January Rebuild Begins

The president of Turkish giants Beşiktaş has taken a bold step to address the club’s struggles by moving early in the January transfer window.

Beşiktaş currently sit fifth in the Turkish Super Lig after 17 rounds of matches and are already 13 points adrift of the league leaders, a situation that has raised concerns within the club hierarchy.

As part of efforts to strengthen the squad, club president Murat Kılıç has reportedly met with representatives of Nigeria international forward Ademola Lookman, who is currently away on international duty at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), where the Super Eagles have reached the semi-finals.

Lookman has been one of Nigeria’s standout performers at the tournament, registering three goals so far.

The 26-year-old attacker has been locked in a long-running contract dispute with Italian side Atalanta. Last summer, Lookman reportedly went on strike in an attempt to force a move to Serie A rivals Inter Milan, though the transfer failed to materialize.

With less than 14 months remaining on his contract, Lookman is widely seen as a strong candidate for a transfer either during the current winter window or in the summer. However, Atalanta are believed to be holding out for a fee in excess of €40 million.

Beşiktaş are hopeful they can negotiate a deal at a reduced price and are confident they can offer Lookman competitive personal terms. The Turkish club are pushing to complete the move in January, aware that delaying until the summer could see Lookman attract interest from several other top European sides.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.

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