Arne Slot has confirmed that Liverpool have reached an agreement with Parma to sign teenage defender Giovanni Leoni.
The 18-year-old was spotted at an airport in Italy on Thursday morning ahead of boarding a flight to Merseyside, where he is expected to undergo a medical before finalising his €35m (£30.1m) transfer.
Despite spending over £250m on seven new signings this summer, reigning Premier League champions Liverpool appear to be light in the centre-back department ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate both played for the Reds in last weekend’s Community Shield loss on penalties to Crystal Palace, while injury-prone Joe Gomez is the club’s only backup option in the centre of defence following the sale of Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen earlier this summer.
Leoni may be considered as one for the future, but Liverpool have seemingly seen enough in the highly-rated youngster to sign him this summer after he broke into Parma’s senior side last season, making 17 Serie A appearances.
Giovanni Leoni of Parma during his side's match against Juventus, on April 23, 2025
Slot confirms Liverpool’s agreement to sign Leoni
Ahead of Liverpool’s opening Premier League fixture of the 2025-26 season at home to Bournemouth on Friday, Slot has confirmed that a deal is in place for the Reds to sign Leoni.
“The club have agreed a deal, but he hasn’t signed for us yet,” Slot said at a press conference on Thursday. “The moment he signs for us, I can go into more detail.”
Slot has also responded to speculation linking Liverpool with a move for Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi before the September 1 transfer deadline.
Guehi has entered the final year of his contract at Selhurst Park and Palace chairman Steve Parish recently admitted that the club may have to sell the 25-year-old this summer to avoid losing him on a free transfer in 2026.
It is understood that Liverpool are hoping to agree a transfer package worth no more than £35m for Guehi, but there is said to be a gap in valuation between the Reds and the Eagles who remain in negotiations.
Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi lifts the Community Shield on August 10, 2025
Slot swerves Guehi-to-Liverpool transfer speculation
Commenting on speculation about Guehi after confirming Liverpool’s agreement with Leoni, Slot told reporters: “The other one [Guehi] is of course the answer you always get from me.
"Can I talk more? No, because he’s not our player. Unfortunately he was the captain of the team we lost against last Sunday.
“If you want to have any talks about him, you could go to Palace, [Oliver] Glasner, ask him about him.”
Guehi has established himself as a star player for Crystal Palace since joining the club in 2021, making 156 appearances across all competitions and captaining the club to FA Cup glory last season.
Liverpool may face competition for the signature of Guehi this summer, as Premier League rivals Manchester United have allegedly made an official approach to sign the England international.
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