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With just over two weeks remaining in the summer transfer window, Liverpool’s defensive reinforcements remain conspicuously absent despite a flurry of midfield and attacking signings.

The sale of Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen for £35 million has left Arne Slot with just three recognised senior central defenders – Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konaté, and Joe Gomez – as Liverpool head into the new campaign.

Adding to the uncertainty, Konaté’s contract situation remains unresolved?

Although contract renewal talks are ongoing, no agreement has been reached yet, raising questions about his long-term future at Anfield.

Liverpool’s preferred target to strengthen central defense this summer is Marc Guehi.

As early as March, DaveOCKOP.com reported Liverpool’s interest and talks with Guehi’s representatives.

But it seems there is another candidate in Parma’s Giovanni Leoni creeping up the shortlist.

Indeed, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Liverpool’s interest in the Parma defender has only grown stronger in the past weeks.

The 18-year-old centre-back has been dubbed the “new Fabio Cannavaro” by Italian media, and surprisingly counts Virgil van Dijk as his childhood idol.

His rapid rise through Italian football has been meteoric – making his professional debut in Serie C just months after his 16th birthday in March 2023.

What followed was a whirlwind 18 months that saw him move from Padova to Sampdoria before ultimately landing at Parma for €4.8 million last summer.

Parma reportedly values their prized asset at around €40 million, a steep price for a player with just 17 Serie A appearances.

And it seems that are sticking to this price point.

Italian journalist Nicolo Shira has reported that Parma have rejected Bournemouth’s recent €35 million offer for Leoni, and maintains the €40 million price point:

“Parma have turned down Bournemouth’s bid (around 30-35M) for Giovanni Leoni,” he wrote.

“Parma want to keep the young centre-back (born in 2006) and ask 40M to open the door to the sale.”

Bournemouth face a pressing need to reinforce their defense this summer after selling two key defenders.

Dean Huijsen was transferred to Real Madrid for around £50 million, while Illia Zabarnyi is nearing a £57 million move to Paris Saint-Germain.

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