Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version or go back to LFC Live.net

Giovanni Leoni of Parma(Image: Leo Simon - Parma Calcio 1913/Parma Calcio 1913 via Getty Images)

Italian football legend Arrigo Sacchi has expressed his disappointment at the prospect of teenage centre-back Giovanni Leoni joining Liverpool.

But the former Italy and AC Milan boss believes the Reds will have acquired a "real talent" if they can conclude a deal with Parma for the 18-year-old.

Liverpool are ready to step up their interest in Leoni as they look to reconfigure their centre-back options following the departure of Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen earlier in the summer.

Reports in Italy have claimed the defender is open to the move and Parma have made him available for €30million (£26m) plus bonuses.

READ MORE:Bernardo Silva sends Liverpool warning and breaks silence on guard of honour snub - 'A bad loser'READ MORE:Three Liverpool players spotted back at AXA Training Centre as transfer uncertainty continues

The Reds have been in the market for a young centre-back for several years and have previously been thwarted in their attempts to sign Levi Colwill, Leny Yoro and Dean Huijsen.

But they are now thought to have nudged ahead of Inter Milan in the race for Leoni with Sacchi admitting he would prefer that not to be the case.

“Liverpool would make a great signing, and he could thrive in the Premier League," he said.

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

Article continues below

“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, writing in his column in Italian news outlet Gazzetta dell Sport, added: “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.

Article continues below

"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."