Newcastle transfer claim emerges after Liverpool won summer battle
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Italian team Parma rejected a better bid from Newcastle for Giovanni Leoni this summer before the defender sealed his dream switch to Liverpool.
Last month, Leoni completed a move from the Italian team to Anfield, becoming a key part of Arne Slot's extensive recruitment campaign.
The 18-year-old had become one of Europe's most sought-after young center-backs following a standout season with Parma in Serie A, and the club was hesitant to let him go to England.
However, Parma's chief executive, Federico Cherubini, has disclosed that Leoni's ambition to join Liverpool, the reigning Premier League champion, was a pivotal factor, despite Newcastle's interest.
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"I've always said we wanted to keep him, and he's always said he'd be happy to stay here," said Cherubini to Gazzetta Di Parma
"We even turned down an offer from Newcastle, which was more advantageous than the one Liverpool eventually made.
"When the Reds came forward, our plans changed: both because the offer was very attractive and because the boy made it clear he was very happy to take advantage of this opportunity.
Giovanni Leoni joined Liverpool in the summer
"On the one hand, it's disappointing to lose such a promising young player, but on the other, we're proud to have believed in him in unsuspecting times, when he'd only played a few games in Serie B."
Newcastle was left in the dust for the second time this summer, as the Reds swooped in to secure Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt, leaving the Magpies trailing in their wake.
Leoni is currently with the Italy squad, gearing up for the team's World Cup qualifiers, set to face Estonia at home on Friday before taking on Israel in Hungary on Monday.
Italy's head coach, Gennaro Gattuso, discussing Leoni's maiden senior squad call-up, highlighted a game where the youngster held his own against Romelu Lukaku last season.
"When I see a player, there's something that has to strike me," he noted