Liverpool's main challenge in trying to sign Giovanni Leoni will be to convince him to leave his home country of Italy.

Leoni, 18, emerged as one of the most promising young center-backs in European soccer last season, and his performances have led to links with a host of top clubs including Liverpool as well as Serie A giants like Juventus, Inter Milan, and AC Milan.

Liverpool is in a better financial position to be able to sign Leoni than any of the Italian clubs that are interested in him, and it is claimed that Milan turned to Genoa's Koni De Winter after accepting that a deal to sign Leoni was not financially viable.



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Leoni is one of two center-backs that Liverpool is considering moving for during the closing weeks of the transfer window, with Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi the other.

Guehi is out of contract at Palace at the end of next season, and Palace chairman Steve Parish suggested over the weekend that the 25-year-old could be sold.

"We'd have to do that, of course," said Parish

We then had another bid [for Guehi] in January but that was a different situation.

"We'll just have to see what happens

Marc Guehi could also join Liverpool

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano reported that Liverpool is considering deals to sign both Guehi and Leoni during the final weeks of the window, as he addressed suggestions that the Reds might have to choose between the two.

Liverpool's need for a center-back reinforcements was underlined last month as Joe Gomez flew back from the Reds' pre-season tour in Asia due to an Achilles injury.

Gomez has a reputation for being injury-prone, and his 2024-25 campaign was ended at the beginning of February by a hamstring injury he sustained in an FA Cup game against Plymouth.

Gomez's injury coupled with the departure of Jarell Quansah means Arne Slot only currently has two fit senior defenders in his squad, which is clearly not ideal as the Reds prepare to get the defense of their Premier League title under way on Friday.