Liverpool have reportedly been ‘working’ on a deal to sign Parma defender Giovanni Leoni, as per transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
Despite winning the Premier League title last term, the Reds have made major changes to their squad ahead of next season. Jarell Quansah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Caoimhin Kelleher, Luis Diaz, and Darwin Núñez have been allowed to leave.
Alexander-Arnold ran his contract down at Anfield before joining Real Madrid, while Diaz has left to start a new journey at Bayern Munich. Liverpool have purchased Giorgi Mamardashvili, Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, and Hugo Ekitike by splashing around £300m.
However, it appears the Merseyside club aren’t done in this window as they are still willing to break the British transfer record to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle United.
Furthermore, on X, Romano says that Liverpool are looking to overhaul the centre-back position as Ibrahima Konate and Virgil Van Dijk are the only available options Arne Slot currently has for this position.
Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace and Leoni are the two priority targets for Liverpool, and Slot’s side have been ‘working’ on a deal to sign both of them over the last few weeks.
Leoni to Liverpool
Liverpool see Guehi as a big opportunity as his existing deal will expire next summer and can be an option to help the club straight away as he is a Premier League-proven player. On the other hand, Liverpool rate Leoni highly for the future, so they want to lure him to Anfield this summer.
Romano wrote:
“Liverpool do not see Giovanni Leoni and Marc Guehi necessarily as alternative options. LFC working on both deals for weeks as Leoni’s highly rated for future and Guehi seen as big opportunity: Both negotiations are on.”
In a different post on X, Romano says that Leoni is ‘keen’ on a move to Liverpool. The 18-year-old is valued at around £16m by Transfermarkt and still has four years left in his current contract. Therefore, Parma are likely to demand a sizable amount of money to let him leave.
Leoni is a 6ft 5in tall colossal and is a modern-day ball-playing centre-back. He featured as a rotational option for Parma last term and showcased glimpses of his qualities whenever he received the opportunities to play.
Therefore, he might be a shrewd acquisition for Liverpool should they eventually manage to secure his service before the end of this transfer window.