Federico Chiesa to leave Liverpool

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Image Credits: Imago ImagesWhen Liverpool paid Juventus just £10 million for Federico Chiesa in the summer of 2024, it felt like the kind of signing that would age beautifully.A player of his quality, his pedigree, his explosiveness, arriving at one of the most exciting clubs in Europe for next to nothing.It seemed almost too good to be true.As it turns out, it was.According to Fabrizio Romano, Chiesa is now almost certain to leave Liverpool at the end of the season, with his departure forming part of a significant clearing of the decks at Anfield as the club prepares for yet another period of transition.The Italian winger has two years remaining on his contract, but that has done nothing to slow the momentum building toward an exit.Chiesa is so keen on leaving that he is willing to take a pay cut to make it happen, a striking development given that his wages of €7.5 million a year have been the primary obstacle preventing any suitor from securing his signature.The numbers behind his time at Liverpool tell the story bluntly.Despite making 32 appearances this season, Chiesa has clocked just over 11 hours on the pitch, fewer than eight full games of football.In the Premier League specifically, he has played 24 games yet managed just 281 minutes, primarily limited to a bench role.Across his entire Liverpool career spanning 48 appearances, he has scored five goals and provided five assists.For a player signed with the expectation that he would become a regular contributor in one of Europe’s top attacks, those figures represent a genuine failure to launch.The reasons are layered.Injuries disrupted his debut season and competition for places has been fierce.But the most damaging detail is this: even during periods when Mohamed Salah was absent through injury and AFCON commitments, Arne Slot preferred to use Jeremie Frimpong and Dominik Szoboszlai out of position on the right wing rather than hand Chiesa the opportunity.That says everything about where he stands in the manager’s thinking.Liverpool are expected to seek to recoup much of the £10 million fee paid to sign him, with four Serie A clubs already tracking his situation.Liverpool are prepared to sell for a fee of around €15 to €20 million, which would represent a modest profit on a player who simply never found his footing in England.Former club Juventus were known to be interested as far back as January, while Napoli, Atalanta, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Roma have all been touted as potential destinations.A return to Italy looks the most likely outcome for a player who produced his best football in Serie A.There is also an uncomfortable subplot to his Anfield exit.Chiesa made a surprise withdrawal from the Italy national team squad earlier this season, with coach Gennaro Gattuso later revealing that the player simply did not feel up for it mentally.For a winger who was once considered one of the most exciting talents in European football, that moment captured the mood of a stint that never quite caught fire.Liverpool’s summer is shaping up to be one of the most transformative in recent memory.And now Chiesa, the bargain signing that never delivered, preparing to close the door on Anfield quietly and without fanfare.The experiment is over.