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The £26 million transfer of Giovanni Leoni from Parma to Liverpool has exposed deep frustrations within Italian football

For weeks leading up to Liverpool’s surprise intervention, Leoni appeared destined for one of Italy’s traditional powerhouses.

AC Milan and Inter Milan had courted the young centre-back extensively throughout the summer, with Inter particularly confident after their former coach Christian Chivu – who had worked with Leoni at Parma – took charge at the San Siro.

The Nerazzurri had even met with Leoni’s agent Edoardo Crnjar to outline their tactical plans and contract terms, believing they had secured the player’s commitment.

However, Liverpool’s sudden entry into the race changed everything.

While Italian clubs deliberated and counted pennies, the Premier League champions moved decisively, agreeing personal terms with Leoni before even opening formal negotiations with Parma.

The teenager reportedly accepted Liverpool’s proposal “without hesitation”.

Ivan Zazzaroni, the director of one of Italy’s biggest newspapers in Corriere dello Sport, has used his platform to deliver a blistering critique of Italian football failings.

In his fiery column, Zazzaroni argued that English clubs have mastered the art of creating a financial ecosystem that serves their interests, using their monetary superiority to cherry-pick talent from smaller teams while keeping those players within the Premier League system.

He claimed that Italian football’s governance structure is dominated by external broadcasters rather than the clubs themselves.

As result, it has created a system where financial sustainability becomes impossible.

This fundamental weakness, he argued, leaves Italian clubs at the mercy of foreign ownership models that view players purely as commercial assets rather than sporting investments.

The journalist described this commodification of Italian talent as an “increasingly serious illness” plaguing Serie A.

Foreign owners, particularly those from England, are accused of treating players as mere revenue streams

The revenue gap between the two leagues has widened significantly in recent years, with English clubs benefiting from lucrative television deals and global commercial partnerships that dwarf anything available in Serie A.

Nevertheless, it seems that those in Italy are still not over their brightest defensive talent leaving the division so soon.

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