Report: Serie A giants eyeing raid for Liverpool maestro who only joined the Reds last year

According to reports from Italy, one Serie A club are eyeing a potential transfer swoop for a player who only joined Liverpool last summer.

On the opening day of the Premier League season, the Reds confirmed the signing of teenage Italian defender Giovanni Leoni from Parma for a reported fee of £26m (The Times).

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He impressed on his senior debut in the Carabao Cup win over Southampton a few weeks later, but that appearance was cut short by a devastating ACL injury which has sidelined him ever since. It’s hoped that he might return to team training in the coming weeks, all going well.

The 19-year-old’s Liverpool career has yet to take off due to that cruel twist of fate, but he’s already being linked with a rumoured return to his native Italy.

Inter reportedly eyeing summer swoop for Leoni

Corriere dello Sport have reported (via FC Inter News) that Inter Milan view him as a potential centre-back signing for the summer transfer window, and the Nerazzurri could possibly call upon one crucial trump card.

They are currently coached by Cristian Chivu, who gave Leoni his big breakthrough into the Parma first team last season and would reportedly love to reunite with him at the San Siro, even on loan.

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Liverpool highly unlikely to sanction an exit for Leoni this summer

In truth, it seems rather unlikely that Liverpool would be prepared to sanction an exit for the 19-year-old in the coming months, barring a significant change in circumstances.

Why would the Anfield hierarchy allow him to leave when they signed him last year and he hasn’t had a chance to prove himself due to his ACL injury? Also, even with Jeremy Jacquet arriving from Rennes over the summer, the Reds aren’t exactly overflowing with centre-back depth right now.

As for Leoni, he would have no discernible reason to get out of the club who’ve continued to support him throughout his convalescence over the past seven months, and surely he’ll be all the more determined to justify LFC’s faith in him once he’s cleared for a return to action.

The only way in which we could envisage the youngster potentially being loaned out is if all of our current centre-backs remain at Anfield for next season (Ibrahima Konate’s future still hasn’t been resolved) and another senior option is brought in over the summer.

Even then, a temporary exit would only be sanctioned if Liverpool were satisfied that he’d enjoy regular game-time at the club he’d be joining. Otherwise, a loan move would be a waste of everyone’s time.

Hopefully Leoni isn’t far off making his long-awaited return and we’ll finally get to see him shine on Merseyside in the 2026/27 campaign and beyond.

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