Liverpool is closing in on a deal to sign Giovanni Leoni for $35 million, and he will go straight into the Reds' first-team set-up, according to The Times.

It is claimed that Manchester United and Newcastle also showed late interest in Leoni, but he is set to move to Anfield, where he will effectively replace Jarell Quansah, who left Liverpool to join Bayer Leverkusen at the beginning of July.

Liverpool rates Leoni so highly that he is set to be integrated into Arne Slot's squad straight away, which will come as a disappointment to Parma.

Liverpool make direct contact to sign Marc Guehi: Price tag named as Crystal Palace slash their demands - and Reds identify potential £35m Virgil van Dijk successor too	Steven Gerrard delivers honest verdict on whether he wanted to beat Everton or Manchester United more	Sources: Liverpool close to $35M Leoni transfer

The Italian team had hoped to be able to keep the teenager for another season on a loan deal from the Reds, but that is described as a possibility that was always unrealistic.

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Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes contacted Parma on Wednesday to finalize the transfer, and it is reported that Liverpool could end up paying add-ons on top of the base $35 million fee that the club has agreed to pay for Leoni

Fabrizio Romano reported on Wednesday night that the deal is "sealed" and Leoni will fly to England for his medical on Thursday.

"All documents have been approved and #LFC have just authorized Leoni to fly for medical tests," Romano wrote on X

The Reds have been eyeing a young center-back addition for some time, and in Leoni they appear to finally be getting their man after missing out on Levi Colwill, Leny Yoro and Dean Huijsen.

Meanwhile, talkSPORT reports that Marc Guehi remains content to see out the final year of his contract at Crystal Palace before leaving the Selhurst Park club on a free transfer next summer.

Guehi's deal at Palace will expire next June, when he will likely have his pick of clubs, and the contracts available to him will likely be far more lucrative because whichever club he joins will not have to pay a transfer fee for him.

Liverpool is hopeful of signing both Leoni and Guehi this summer, as the Reds want to sign a more experienced player (Guehi) alongside the highly rated youngster.

It remains to be seen what the prospective additions of both players might mean for the future of Joe Gomez, who returned to training on Wednesday but hasn't been a regular starter since the 2019-20 season.

As a result, there is a good chance that he would be demoted to the role of fifth-choice defender were both players to arrive.

Gomez has previously been linked with a move to Palace, and the South London club would no doubt enter the market for a new center-back were Guehi to leave.


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