Liverpool are close to signing Juventus winger Federico Chiesa for a paltry €13 million (£10.95 million) and Arne Slot could secure the second signing of his tenure as head coach of the Reds.
Chiesa scored 11 goals and provided two assists in a largely impressive 2023/24 season, but was deemed surplus to requirements by new boss Thiago Motta in Turin. After catching the eye for the Old Lady in previous seasons and playing a key role in Italy’s Euro 2020 triumph, Liverpool have emerged as surprise suitors for the Italian in recent days.
The 26-year-old is said to be “flying to Merseyside today” before moving to Anfield. The reported transfer fee of around £11 million is said to be low for a variety of reasons, as one Serie A expert explained in an article for Transfer market.
Chiesa joins Liverpool for £11 million
The winger had to struggle with injuries
With just a year left on his contract at Juventus, potential suitors would have expected to get Chiesa at a reduced price and there are no signs of a new deal being signed in the near future. However, the extent of the price drop is likely to come as a surprise and Liverpool have taken advantage of this market opportunity as they appear to be keen to land the electrifying winger.
A player of the caliber of the Italian international would normally fetch a much higher transfer fee. Transfer marketItalian football expert Stefano Buonfino revealed why Chiesa will leave northern Italy for so little money:
“Chiesa was unable to give his best at Juventus for various reasons.
“First of all, his bad injury (serious knee injury in January 2022) was a major setback. And even when he came back, it affected him for many months. Chiesa didn’t seem to fully trust his body after the injury.
Buonfino added: “Then he played most of the time as a supporting striker, which is not his best position as he is clearly better as a winger. For these reasons, Chiesa is not considered one of Juventus’ best players and he has a very high salary that they do not want to pay as they adapt their approach.”
A combination of a persistent injury history, his contract situation, the fact that he was playing in an unfamiliar position and therefore not showing his best form, his desire to leave and Juventus’ desire to change their strategy led to the Euro 2020 star being sold to Liverpool for a minimal transfer fee.
One journalist on X (formerly Twitter) said the price was a “joke”, pointing to the transfer fees the Reds paid for El Hadji Diouf in 2002 and Emile Heskey in 2000 compared to Chiesa’s price tag.
|
Chiesa’s Serie A statistics 2023/24 |
|
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
33 |
|
Goals |
9 |
|
Templates |
2 |
|
Shots per 90 |
3.03 |
|
Expected goals per 90 |
0.23 |
|
Key passes per 90 |
2.21 |
|
Expected assists per 90 |
0.23 |
|
Successful take-ons per 90 |
1.43 |
Chiesa’s preference was Barcelona
The Spaniards could not afford him
With Liverpool on the verge of making their second signing of the summer, reports from Italian journalist Gianluca DiMarzio have revealed that the player would have actually preferred a move to Barcelona. However, the La Liga side were unable to land the Juventus outsider due to the club’s well-documented financial problems.
The Catalan giants were only able to sign new signing Dani Olmo on Monday after selling several key players. It is clear that Chiesa’s arrival would have required further departures to be approved, which would have opened the door for Liverpool to sign the player despite little competition.
(All statistics via FBRef – as of August 28, 2024)
