Our friendship would have ended — Milan star reveals what he told Lookman amid Inter transfer pursuit

AC Milan defender Fikayo Tomori shared a comical conversation he had with Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman when the 27-year-old was close to joining Inter in a summer transfer deal. 

In a recent conversation with Athletic’s James Horncastle, the former Chelsea defender named Lookman as one of the toughest attackers he has ever faced, highlighting the Nigerian's intelligence, pace and trickery.

“Lookman is also incredibly difficult to mark; he’s very quick and moves the ball with impressive speed,” Tomori said, as Pulse Sports reported.

After praising Lookman’s qualities, the interviewer asked if he was delighted that Lookman's move to Inter fell through and that the former Fulham man left Serie A altogether. 

Tomori joked, saying, “I spoke to him when he stayed [at Atalanta], and I said, 'If you went to Inter, we wouldn’t have been friends anymore,'” referencing the rivalry between Milan and Inter. 

Ademola Lookman had his sights set on joining Inter last summer. He pulled all the stops to make it happen, including rejecting a bigger offer from Napoli and going on strike to force the move. 

Despite Lookman’s scorched-earth tactic and incredible gesture, Inter did not show the same gusto towards signing him, refusing to match Atalanta's bid and going cold for two weeks before informing the Nigerian they were no longer interested.