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Italian football icon Arrigo Sacchi has voiced his mixed feelings about teenage defender Giovanni Leoni's potential switch to Liverpool.

The former Italy and AC Milan manager acknowledges the Reds would be landing a "real talent" should they secure a deal with Parma for the 18-year-old.

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Liverpool are poised to intensify their pursuit of Leoni as they seek to reshape their defensive options after Jarell Quansah's departure to Bayer Leverkusen earlier this summer.

Italian media reports suggest the centre-back is receptive to the transfer, with Parma valuing him at £26million plus add-ons.

The Merseyside club have spent several years hunting for a promising young centre-back, having previously missed out on Levi Colwill, Leny Yoro and Dean Huijsen.

However, they appear to have stolen a march on Inter Milan in the battle for Leoni's signature, much to Sacchi's annoyance.

"Liverpool would make a great signing, and he could thrive in the Premier League," he said, penning his thoughts in Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"It's a shame he's eluding the big clubs in Serie A.

On the one hand, the news makes me immensely happy, and on the other, it makes me a little angry.

"Let me explain – I'm happy that an Italian player is receiving praise from a major club like Liverpool, but I wish AC Milan or Inter, Juventus or Napoli were competing for his transfer, not a foreign club.

"I'm told Italian teams don't have the same financial resources as English clubs.

Absolutely true, but I add - why hasn't the football product been exploited here like in England?

Why is it so complicated to buy a €40m defender for an Italian club, and yet Liverpool doesn't flinch?"

Sacchi continued: "We'll see if the deal goes through, but in any case, I feel like the Reds would make a great coup by securing this boy, whom I followed with curiosity and interest in the second half of last season.

"Leoni is only 18, and I'm told he's a decent guy, hard-working, humble, and very determined.

It seems to me that Leoni is off to a good start: after all, if a major European club like Liverpool is persistently pursuing him, there must be a reason.

"We're dealing with a talent, there's no doubt about that."

This article was originally published on the Liverpool Echo.