Lee Congerton has claimed that he “tried” to sign Atalanta striker Ademola Lookman when he was still the head of recruitment at Celtic.

The Nigerian international has been in excellent form for his current team, having racked up 12 goals in 21 Serie A appearances this season. Asked about his pursuit of Lookman, Congerton (who is now at Atalanta) said he had been tracking the player for a long time:

“I tried to get him to Celtic when I was there. Sure, I have known him well, since he was a kid, but he’s also the one who chose us [Atalanta] and he made the right choice. He’s a great lad and deserves all the praise and credit he’s getting. I hope he continues like this, with goals and assists, with high-level performances for the good of Atalanta.”

Before moving to Atalanta, Lookman had had a pretty nomadic career. After breaking through at Charlton Athletic, he made the switch to Everton during the 2017 January transfer window.

As Congerton was Celtic’s transfer chief until the summer of 2019, it seems that the Hoops were interested in the player when the forward had a loan spell at RB Leipzig. The player would ultimately join the German side on a permanent deal instead.

After failing to establish himself in the Bundesliga, he returned to England on loan on two separate occasions with Fulham and Leicester before transferring to Atalanta last year.