Atalanta head coach Ivan Juric has expressed concern over the possible departure of Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman after a stand-off between the player and the club.
Lookman, who recently complained about how he has been treated at the club, has skipped training and is pushing for a move to former Serie A champions Inter Milan.
Juric, who replaced Gian Piero Gasperini as Atalanta boss, said the African Footballer of the Year was honest with him before leaving the squad.
“Ademola was very fair with me, he explained his thoughts,” Juric told L’Eco di Bergamo.
“We just have to accept the situation. Sadly, it got to this point.”
Atalanta are already weakened after their top scorer last season, Mateo Retegui, left for Saudi Arabia. Juric fears that losing Lookman as well would leave his side short of firepower going into the new season.
“We lost players who provided 80–90 per cent of our goals, and it won’t be easy to replace them,” he said.
“I don’t think anyone will arrive who can match the numbers of Retegui or Lookman, but we must recruit wisely and build a wider list of options.”
Juric also praised his predecessor Gasperini, who left Atalanta after nine successful years to join AS Roma.
“Gasperini had an era here at the same level of influence as Sir Alex Ferguson with Manchester United,” he said.
Juric, who had a difficult spell at Southampton last season, will start his reign at Atalanta without Lookman when they face Pisa on 25 August in their Serie A opener.