Liverpool have competition from Arsenal for the signature of Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman, according to journalist Alfredo Pedulla.

Writing on his personal website, the SportItalia reporter said that the Gunners were willing to “offer” €50m (£42m) plus Jakub Kiwior for the Nigerian.

Lookman was linked with a transfer to Anfield earlier this week, but Pedulla seems to believe that a switch to the Emirates is more likely before the transfer window shuts next week.

Even so, Arsenal’s proposal is still well short of Atalanta’s valuation, which Pedulla says is between €65m (£55m) and €70m (£59m).

Lookman is overpriced

While the Reds are said to be on the lookout for a wide forward, you can’t see them making a move for the Atalanta star. One of the main reasons for that is his record in English football.

In 96 Premier League appearances for the likes of Everton, Leicester City and Fulham, Lookman only scored 11 goals and contributed 6 assists.

Since making the switch to Italy, the 26-year-old has definitely improved as a player (averaging a goal or assist every 1.58 matches for Atalanta) but you can’t see the Merseyside club spending £55m on him.

Are Liverpool considering moves for any other forwards?

The Reds were keen on signing Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon earlier this summer. The transfer would have seen Joe Gomez moving in the other direction, with an additional £30m being paid, but the Magpies pulled the plug on the deal.

Other names such as Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams, Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman, Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo and PSV Eindhoven’s Johan Bakayoko have been mentioned as potential options.

However, it doesn’t look like Arne Slot’s side have settled on a no.1 target since failing to land Gordon. It remains to be seen if they will step up their interest in Lookman.

Find out who is in Liverpool’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here