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Slot speaks to the media(Image: Liverpool YouTube)

Arne Slot refused to be drawn on Liverpool’s interest in Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi after confirming the club had agreed a deal with Parma to sign Giovanni Leoni.

The Reds have agreed an initial £26m fee plus add-ons with the Serie A outfit to sign the teenage centre-back.

The 18-year-old has been given permission to travel to Liverpool to undergo a medical after an agreement was reached with Parma on Wednesday evening.

The Reds saw off competition from a number of elite Italian clubs and Premier League sides, with the teenager adamant that he wanted to move to Anfield.

READ MORE:Arne Slot press conference LIVE - Liverpool transfers and injury news updatesREAD MORE:Liverpool could be without four players for Premier League opener against Bournemouth

Leoni will now bolster Liverpool’s options at centre-back ahead of the new season, with the centre-back set to immediately join Slot’s first team set-up for the campaign.

Any suggestion of a loan exit has been completely ruled out.

After selling Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth up to £35m, Slot was left with only Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez as his senior options at the heart of defence.

However, Van Dijk missed the Reds’ two friendlies with Athletic Bilbao through illness while Gomez has missed the majority of pre-season with a minor Achilles issue.

Meanwhile, Konate’s future continues to be the subject of speculation ahead of his contract expiring next summer.

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While Liverpool are closing in on the signing of Leoni, they also opened talks with Crystal Palace over a possible move for Guehi earlier in the week.

But Slot gave little away about the Reds’ move for the two centre-backs when quizzed about Liverpool’s latest transfer movement ahead of their Premier League opener at home to AFC Bournemouth.

“(I can tell you) that the clubs have agreed a deal but he hasn’t signed for us yet,” Slot said of Leoni at his pre-match press conference.

“The moment when he signs for us, I can go into more detail.

“And the other one (Guehi) is of course the answer you always get from me.

“No, (I cannot go into more detail) because he is not our player and unfortunately he was the captain of the team where we lost against last Sunday.

“No, if you want to have any talks about him, you should go to Palace, to (Oliver) Glasner and ask him his opinion about him.”

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Meanwhile, Slot confirmed that Gomez could return to the matchday squad against Bournemouth after returning to training this week - but admitted he has a decision to make after the England international’s disrupted pre-season schedule.

“Joe, I have to make a decision on that ,” he said.

“I think he only trained twice now, missed quite a lot in pre-season.

“But if you look at our bench against Palace, I think there were three players who were 20 years or younger.