By Wale Mustapha
Premier League side Fulham have rejected a €19 million bid from Spanish giants Atlético Madrid for Nigerian midfielder Alex Iwobi, according to Africa Foot.
The Spanish club reportedly submitted the offer earlier this week, with a proposed contract that would see Iwobi earn around €7 million annually.
Despite Iwobi’s openness to a potential move to LaLiga, Fulham have made it clear that the 29-year-old is not for sale.
Iwobi was one of Fulham’s standout performers last season, registering 10 goals and six assists across 38 Premier League appearances — a career-best return.
His consistency saw him become the first Nigerian to play every match of a Premier League season for the second time in his career.
The former Arsenal midfielder finished as runner-up in Fulham’s Player of the Season award, narrowly edged out by his Super Eagles teammate Calvin Bassey.
With two years remaining on his contract, Fulham are determined to keep hold of the influential playmaker as they prepare for the 2025/26 season.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career 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.
