The face-off between Super Eagles forward, Ademola Lookman, and his Italian club, Atalanta has reached a new low, as the striker failed to show up for training for the second day in a row, according to reports from Sky Sport. Lookman, who has been at the centre of a transfer battle this summer, was expected to train individually at Atalanta’s Zingonia training base yesterday, but he was once again absent without any medical excuse.

Sources say the player has even emptied his locker at the club’s facility, a move seen as a sign of his growing frustration and determination to leave. The 26-year-old also missed training on Wednesday in protest, after Atalanta reportedly rejected a second improved bid from Inter Milan, one of Italy’s biggest clubs.

This has only added fuel to the already heated situation. Lookman had earlier made his feelings known, expressing disappointment over Atalanta’s refusal to let him go, despite what he claims was a previous agreement to allow him to leave this summer if certain conditions were met.

Atalanta CEO, Luca Percassi, confirmed the club had promised to sell the player under specific conditions, which were set last year when Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) offered £20 million for the Nigerian star. “Last year, faced with a £20 million offer from PSG, the player asked us to sell him,” Percassi said during a recent media event.

“Atalanta, being a credible club, gave him their word that he would be allowed to leave in this summer transfer window. But the agreement was based on two conditions that he requested: that he would only join a super-top European club, and that he would never be seen wearing the shirt of another Italian team apart from Atalanta,” he explained.