Atletico Madrid have intensified efforts to sign Ademola Lookman as the Turkish club Fenerbahce edge closer to completing a deal for the Nigeria forward, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The Spanish side tried to sign the 28-year-old last summer but failed to reach an agreement with Atalanta.
Their primary midfield target, Leon Goretzka, announced on Friday that he would not leave Bayern Munich until the summer, forcing Sporting Director Mateu Alemany to pursue alternative options.
Atletico are now targeting Inter Milan’s Davide Frattesi for midfield reinforcement, but Lookman remains their priority signing.
However, competition for the Nigeria international is fierce. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reports that Fenerbahce’s deal is at the final stages, with the Turkish club offering a package worth €40m including variables.
According to Spanish publication Marca, Atletico acknowledge that Fenerbahce’s bid is currently higher than theirs, though they will do all they can to bring Lookman to Spain.
The player had expressed interest in a move to Spain during the summer.
Diario AS reports that Fenerbahce sporting director Devin Ozek is currently in Bergamo trying to finalise the deal.
Romano posted on Friday that while Atalanta and Fenerbahce have a verbal agreement on a €40m package, they are yet to agree on payment terms and conditions.
He added that Atletico Madrid have been calling in recent hours to ask about deal conditions.
Atletico could return for both Goretzka and Lookman in the summer, depending on what business Alemany completes before February 2.
Arsenal Football Club were crowned English Premier League champions on Tuesday for the first time in 22 years after Manchester City drew 1-1 at Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium.
Pep Guardiola’s men needed to win on England’s south coast to keep the title race alive but fell short.
Following three runners-up finishes, the Gunners have sealed top spot after Manchester City drew 1-1 at Bournemouth on Tuesday night.
The trophy lift is set to take place at Selhurst Park on Sunday when the North London club play the final game of the season on May 24.
The draw left the North London side mathematically unreachable at the top of the table and triggered historic celebrations among Arsenal supporters, who had not experienced a league triumph since the “Invincibles” season of 2003-04 under legendary manager Arsène Wenger.
A general view of Arsenal Emirates Stadium in London, United Kingdom, on December 2025 (Photo by Mairo Cinquetti/NurPhoto). (Photo by Mairo Cinquetti / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP)
Arsenal have topped the table for much of the season, but their title bid looked to have hit shaky ground in April as Man City started to breathe down their necks.
A 2-1 defeat at the Etihad seemed to hand the title advantage to City but the Gunners rallied and have held off Pep Guardiola’s side to win the league for the first time since the Invincibles in the 2003/04 season.
It ends a six-year period without a trophy and is Arteta’s second major honour as manager at the Emirates Stadium.
Meanwhile, the Arsenal football website has also celebrated the new feat.
A Tuesday night release titled, “Arsenal crowned 2025/26 Premier League champions,” disclosed this.
“We have been crowned 2025/26 Premier League champions with a game to spare, after an incredible campaign in N5 has ended with us claiming our 14th top-flight championship.
“Following our 1-0 success against Burnley last night, our nearest challengers Manchester City had to beat Bournemouth to force us into a final-day showdown for the title. However, a 1-1 draw at the Vitality Stadium saw us crowned champions.
Arsenal Manager, Mikel Arteta
“The silverware sees Mikel Arteta become the first Gunners boss to land English football’s top prize in 22 years, following in the footsteps of Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles who were our last side to win the Premier League after going unbeaten during the 2003/04 campaign,” it read.
Arsenal won 25 of our 37 league games so far, drawing seven and losing just five times to top the pile, having finished runners-up in each of the previous three seasons.
“But a solid defensive platform, which has seen us keep 19 clean sheets and David Raya claim the Golden Glove for the third successive season, has led us to the best defensive record this term, while only City can better our tally of 69 goals scored to this point,” the release further read.
Season’s campaign began at Old Trafford
The North London club began its English league record 100th consecutive campaign with a 1-0 success at Manchester United, and won nine of our first 10 games to hit top spot for the first time at the start of October.
“We led the league for 200 days before Manchester City nudged us off on goals scored late last month. However, we won four successive matches without conceding to reclaim top spot and pave our way to the championship.
“It is the 14th time we have been crowned champions of England, only behind Manchester United and Liverpool in the all-time rankings, and the 32nd major trophy we’ve claimed.
“We now have the chance to cap one of the greatest seasons in our 140-year history by adding one more to that total when we head to Budapest next week to contest our second-ever Champions League final.
“We will face holders Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday, May 30 as we aim to claim our first European Cup triumph in our 139-year history,” the club wrote.
Bournemouth in Europe
Meanwhile, AFC Bournemouth also “penned a new chapter in the club record books by securing a place in Europe for the first time in their 127-year history,” a post-match release on the club’s website as obtained by our correspondent on Tuesday night stated.
“Junior Kroupi’s superbly-executed first-half goal appeared to have put Andoni Iraola’s team on course for victory, only for Erling Haaland to grab an injury-time equaliser for the visitors.
“Haaland’s dramatic late strike failed to take the gloss off another memorable game under head coach Iraola who will leave the club in the summer following three glorious seasons.
“A share of the points extended the Cherries’ unbeaten run to 17 matches, equalling the club record for a single season which has stood since 1981/82 in Division Four,” the club wrote.
Napoli are set for a managerial change at the end of the season after head coach Antonio Conte reportedly decided to leave the club.
According to reports, Conte made his decision about a month ago and has already informed club president Aurelio De Laurentiis. The departure is expected to take place at the end of the current campaign.
As reported by Fabrizio Romano on X on Tuesday, “Antonio Conte has decided to leave Napoli at the end of the season, it’s over. Conte made his decision and informed the president De Laurentiis already one month ago. There will be no exit fee, Conte will leave without severance pay and without any agreement elsewhere.”
Conte’s time at Napoli has been closely followed due to his reputation as a demanding and results-driven coach, known for quickly reshaping squads and instilling tactical discipline.
His decision to leave will now force the club to reassess their long-term sporting project.
No official statement has yet been released by Napoli, but internal discussions are expected to focus on succession planning once the season concludes.
During his tenure, Napoli also secured major success by winning the Serie A title in his debut season and adding the Supercoppa Italiana, reflecting his immediate impact on the squad’s competitiveness.
Nigeria have been drawn in Group L of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, where they will face Madagascar, co-hosts Tanzania and Guinea-Bissau for a place at the tournament, PUNCH Online reports.
The draw was conducted at the headquarters of the Egyptian Football Association in Cairo on Tuesday, with former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong serving as one of the draw assistants.
A total of 48 teams will participate in the qualifiers, with the draw producing 12 groups and 24 teams qualifying for the finals.
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will host the tournament from June 19 to July 17, 2027.
Nigeria were drawn from Pot 1 and handed a relatively favourable path to the tournament.
However, due to the presence of Tanzania — who have qualified automatically as co-hosts — in the group, only the top team will qualify for the finals.
The same applies to other groups containing any of the co-hosts, while the top two teams from the remaining groups will qualify.
Among the notable groups, 2023 champions Côte d’Ivoire were drawn alongside Ghana, The Gambia and Somalia in Group C.
Winners of the 2025 edition, Senegal, will face Mozambique, Sudan and Ethiopia in Group J, while 2025 AFCON hosts Morocco will face Gabon, Niger and Lesotho.
The qualifying campaign will be played across three international windows. The opening two matchdays are scheduled for the FIFA window from September 21 to October 6, 2026, before Matchdays Three and Four take place from November 9 to 17, 2026.
