Liverpool is on the verge of completing its latest signing in what has been the busiest summer for quite some time at Anfield.

Giovanni Leoni looks set to be the next player to join Arne Slot’s defending Premier League champions, with the young defender on his way to Merseyside to complete a medical after being given permission by Parma to complete his $35 million move.

He could yet be joined by Marc Guehi, with Liverpool still exploring a possible deal for the Crystal Palace captain before the end of the transfer window, but for now, the focus will be on getting Leoni over the line.



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Liverpool looks set to beat the likes of Inter and AC Milan to the 18-year-old’s signature, with Manchester United and Newcastle also said to have shown a late interest.

It is just a case now of the teenager completing his medical and putting pen to paper, with a place in the Reds’ first-team setup awaiting after Liverpool decided against keeping him at Parma for another year, much in the same way it did with Giorgi Mamardashvili and Valencia.

With Leoni on his way to Merseyside and his medical scheduled for later today, there is every chance he will be unveiled as a Liverpool player before tomorrow’s Premier League opener against Bournemouth.



Giovanni Leoni will undergo a medical at Liverpool on Thursday

He won’t be allowed to make his debut against the Cherries though, or be named in the Reds’ squad for tomorrow’s game for that matter.

Premier League rules stipulate that players must be registered by 12 pm UK time on the last working day before a game in order to be eligible for it.

With Liverpool facing Bournemouth on Friday, as opposed to the usual Saturday or Sunday, that means the Reds have already missed the deadline for Leoni to be able to be named in tomorrow’s squad.

In any case, given the tight turnaround there would have been in getting him signed and the league opener, it’s unlikely that Slot would have put Leoni in his squad for tomorrow even if he had been signed before the deadline.

Leoni’s first opportunity to make his Liverpool debut will therefore come against Newcastle on August 25, by which time he should have safely signed on the dotted line and become more familiar with his new teammates.

Without the Italian, Slot will have to rely on Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate to keep things tight at the back against Bournemouth.

The Liverpool boss hasn’t ruled out Joe Gomez being named in his squad, although the England international only made his return to training earlier this week, and will therefore probably have to settle for a place on the bench.


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