West Ham weigh up move for Ballon d’Or nominee within three-man attacking shortlist

West Ham are in the market for attacking reinforcements in 2025 and one of three names on their shortlist is Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman, according to reports.

The former Everton forward helped Atalanta win the Europa League last season and has continued his good form into the new campaign, which has put him back on the radar of some Premier League clubs.

West Ham want to improve their attacking options further following the arrivals of players like Niclas Fullkrug and Crysencio Summerville over the summer, and it seems Lookman is under consideration at the London Stadium.

According to Give Me Sport, West Ham are holding talks internally about the idea of making a move for Lookman in the future.

As things stand, he is probably the outside candidate on their shortlist, which also includes centre-forwards Jhon Duran (Aston Villa) and Jonathan David (Lille). Duran remains a dream target after summer links, while David could be available on a free transfer in 2025.

However, West Ham are deemed to be likely bidders for Lookman, in comparison to some of the other clubs he has been linked with.

Lookman was recognised for his resurgent form by being nominated for the 2024 Ballon d’Or, although he is unlikely to make even the top 10 in the voting.

READ MORE: West Ham tipped to make January raid on Chelsea for wantaway Maresca misfit

Will Lookman leave Atalanta?

Lookman has played for Atalanta since 2022, when they bought him from RB Leipzig. However, he hadn’t actually played for the German side since 2020, subsequently having loan spells in the Premier League with Fulham and Leicester City.

Having hit double figures of goals in both of his full seasons with Atalanta so far, it’s fair to say Lookman has transformed into a key player for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side.

Atalanta reportedly resisted attempts by other clubs to prise him away in the summer and they retain him under contract until 2026, with the option of an extra year.

Having recently turned 27, Lookman is now enjoying the prime of his career, so it would be interesting to see if he would be up for spending it back in the Premier League.

It could be argued that he is best off staying where he is flourishing, but only time will tell what the future holds for the Nigeria international.

Fullkrug exit claims clarified

The centre-forward position has been an area of concern for West Ham for a number of years. This summer, they tried to solve it by bringing in the experience of Fullkrug, but the German hasn’t hit the ground running.

There have been whispers of a premature exit in January for Fullkrug, who has been tipped to head back to the Bundesliga, which has led to a top German reporter revealing what the chances are.

In other West Ham news, a Club Brugge winger is supposedly being monitored by the Hammers and some of their Premier League rivals, while they are also in the queue watching a centre-back who could become the first player from his country to arrive in the Premier League.

TIMELINE: Lookman’s rise since his last Premier League spell

• August 4, 2022: Joins Atalanta from RB Leipzig for a €15m fee after Leicester neglected their option to buy him.
• August 13, 2022: Scores on his Atalanta debut in a win over Sampdoria, being deployed as a supporting striker – a role he would soon make his own.
• January 2023: Scores braces in three consecutive matches (two of which were in Serie A and one in the Coppa Italia).
• July 2023: Wins the Atalanta player of the season award after scoring 15 goals from 33 games in his debut campaign.
• January-February 2024: Plays a crucial role in helping Nigeria to the Africa Cup of Nations final, being their only scorer in the round of 16 and quarter-final wins.
• May 22, 2024: Scores a hat-trick in the Europa League final to earn Atalanta their first ever European trophy.
• June 2024: Claims the Atalanta player of the season accolade for the second time in a row.
• September 4, 2024: Becomes the first ever Atalanta player to be named on the Ballon d’Or shortlist.
• October 26, 2024: Scores a brace and provides two assists in the same match in a 6-1 win over Hellas Verona.