London — Liverpool manager Arne Slot continued to reinforce his squad on the eve of their Premier League season opener, confirming on Thursday the club had agreed a deal to sign 18-year-old defender Giovanni Leoni from Parma.
While no financial details were disclosed, British media reported the fee for the Serie A player at €26m.
Slot’s men kick off the defence of their title when they host Bournemouth on Friday on what is sure to be an emotional night at Anfield after the death of Portugal forward Diogo Jota and his brother in a car crash in July.
Leoni had a medical later on Thursday and will immediately join the first team, with the club ruling out any possibility of a loan move.
The teenager will join Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez — who is in doubt for Friday having recently returned from an Achilles injury — among Slot’s centre-back options and shore up a back line that showed frailties during preseason.
“There are reasons for it,” Slot said, citing injuries, mixed line-ups and the integration of new players.
“The standard here is 10/10, we are doing everything well but ‘well’ is not good enough. We have to go a step up.
“Come \[Friday\] evening against Bournemouth, there are no excuses.”
Slot is cautiously optimistic Liverpool can retain their title.
“The main reason that it’s so difficult is because there are so many competitors who can win the league. It’s unbelievable if you are able to do it in this league,” the Dutchman said.
“This year will be even harder than before. Every season and preseason has its challenges. We have lost many starters.
“It’s not always yourself but the teams you face. We’ve lost five to six players who played quite a lot of minutes last season, and brought in four, so it’s normal there’s adaptation.”
Liverpool have a tough start to the campaign, with games away to Newcastle United and at home to last season’s runners-up Arsenal among their first three fixtures.
“We start with Bournemouth, probably the most intense team in the league last season, in running and playing style,” Slot said.
There is plenty of anticipation about Liverpool’s new attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz after the Reds shattered their transfer record to sign the 22-year-old German international from Bayer Leverkusen in June.
They paid £100m), with a further maximum of £16m in potential bonuses.
Slot was full of praise for Wirtz, but cautioned he might need time to adjust to the intensity of England’s top tier.
“Good players always find a way of playing in a good team — he is a good player and he plays in a good team,” Slot said.
“Factually, we can see him as a young player, but I don’t see him as one. He won the cup and league in Germany \[in 2024\], and his mentality is his biggest strength.
“That says a lot, because when you see him play he is so creative. He is mentally strong, he doesn’t get distracted by a transfer fee or anything else.”
**Fixtures** (SA times)
**Friday:** Liverpool vs Bournemouth (9pm)
**Saturday:** Aston Villa vs Newcastle (1.30pm), Brighton vs Fulham (4pm), Sunderland vs West Ham (4pm), Tottenham Hotspur vs Burnley (4pm), Wolves vs Manchester City (6.30pm)
**Sunday:** Nottingham Forest vs Brentford (3pm), Chelsea vs Crystal Palace (3pm), Manchester United vs Arsenal (5.30pm)
**Monday:** Leeds United vs Everton (9pm) — _Reuters_