Ademola Lookman indicates that he may now be willing to change his allegiance to Nigeria

EVERTON striker Ademola Lookman has indicated that he is now willing to switch his loyalty to Nigeria to enable him feature for the Super Eagles having played for England at youth level earlier on in his career.

Lookman, 20, is currently an England youth international, having played for the U21 team after joining Everton from Charlton Athletic. He is currently out on loan to German side RB Leipzig, where he career has blossomed since he began seeing regular action at the club, which is keen to sign him permanently.

Nigerian news outlet Pulse claims in an exclusive report that Lookman is close to announcing that he will switch allegiances to the Super Eagles despite having made 27 appearances for various England youth sides. In the past, the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has wooed Lookman but despite him agreeing to consider switching following meetings with officials and the coaching crew, nothing has come of it.

Born in Wandsworth in London, Lookman has had talks with Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr in the past who asked him to consider playing for Nigeria. Fifa regulations state that after turning 21 a player can switch their allegiance once and only if they have not played for a competitive game for the men’s senior team, which Lookman has not.

Last week, Lookman was called up by Aidy Boothroyd last week for England’s Under-21 side for the Euro 2019 qualifiers but he was not in the matchday squad. If Lookman initiates switching plans with Fifa, he may be able to conclude them before the start of the 2019 African Cup of Nations taking place in Cameroon.

Over the last year, Lookman has been at the centre of a tug of war between Everton and Leipzig, with the German side desperate to sign him permanently but the Merseyside giants have held out. Another Nigerian forward Henry Onyekuru is also on Everton's book but is also out on loan to Turkish side Galatasaray.