Inside Ademola Lookman's rise, fall and rise again as Liverpool 'watch' transfer developments

Ademola Lookman's rise to success has been nothing short of inspiring. Discovered by the Charlton Athletic from Sunday league football at the age of 16, he quickly rose through the ranks and soon after signed for Everton and represented England at under-19 level.

He joined the Toffees for £7.5million plus add-ons in January 2017 and scored on his debut during that infamous 4-0 victory over Manchester City. However, Lookman didn't manage to kick on and found himself in and out of the Everton side under Ronald Koeman, David Unsworth and then Sam Allardyce.

Lookman moved to RB Leipzig on loan for the second half of the 2017/18 campaign and impressed, scoring five goals in 11 appearances in the Bundesliga. He returned to Goodison Park that summer but still failed to cement himself as a first-team regular, having struggled for game time and form.

This ended up seeing Lookman leave Everton after netting just four times in 48 matches and returning to RB Leipzig, this time in a permanent deal. He endured a disastrous first season at the club and started just two Bundesliga matches, failing to find the back of the net in 11 games across all competitions.

In an attempt to regain his form and love back for football, Lookman joined newly-promoted Fulham in September 2020 on a season-long loan. Although Lookman couldn't help prevent the Cottagers from relegation back to the Championship, he stood out in a struggling Fulham side, which earned him another loan move, this time to Leicester after the Foxes won the FA Cup and qualified for the Europa League.

Despite a difficult start, Lookman grew into the season and started to impress for the Foxes both domestically and in Europe. This is where he began to show his capabilities at the very top level, having most notably scored the winner for Leicester against Liverpool in December 2021. After Leicester dropped into the Europa Conference League, Lookman helped them reach the semi-final before crashing out to Roma.

Lookman finished that season having scored eight times and added five assists in 42 appearances. In the following summer, there had been rumours suggesting that he could return to Leicester on a permanent basis. Leicester fans provided a mixed reaction on whether they wanted Lookman to stay, while then-boss Brendan Rodgers later admitted he was keen to keep him - but inevitably the club could not afford to keep him.

After an uncertain summer, Lookman decided to explore a new adventure in his career with Atalanta and joined the club in August 2022 for £12.7m on a four-year contract. It's safe to say Lookman has not looked back since. He scored 15 goals and provided eight assists in 33 matches in his first season in Italy before taking his game up another level in his second, becoming one of the most feared wingers in Europe.

Although his numbers in the Serie A declined in comparison, he starred for Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations and helped them to the final before losing against Ivory Coast. In the Europa League, Lookman took that competition by storm and ended up scoring a hat-trick in the 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the final. He ended the season with a stunning 17 goals and 10 assists in 45 club matches - a set of numbers that have got eyebrows raised.

Unsurprisingly, Lookman's future has been uncertain this summer as clubs eye a potential move for him. It has been reported that Liverpool are showing interest in a potential move for the winger. According to journalist Alfredo Pedulla, the Reds are 'in the background' watching developments.

However, the same report claims that Arsenal are at the front of the queue for his signature, with the Gunners preparing an offer worth £42.6million plus the possibility of using out-of-favour defender Jakub Kiwior in any deal for Lookman. A loan-to-buy deal is also said to be an option.

Atalanta value Lookman at around £55m to £60m and do not want to lose their prized asset before the end of the window. Meanwhile, Lookman, on the other hand, is keen to leave the Bergamo club after he was left out of their Serie A opener against Lecce on Monday on his own demand.