According to Gazzetta dello Sport (via SportWitness), Liverpool and Newcastle United have their eyes on signing Juventus forward Federico Chiesa this summer.
The Italian attacker had a difficult 2022/23 season with the Serie A outfit. He missed part of the campaign after a knee surgery and on his return, he struggled to stay fit over a prolonged period.
Despite this, he is attracting transfer interest, and Gazzetta dello Sport claim that Liverpool and Newcastle have him in their thoughts.
Meanwhile, Sport Mediaset claim that Chiesa is not ‘non-transferable’ in the current summer transfer window, but the Bianconeri will ask for £43-52 million for the former Fiorentina man.
Good addition
Liverpool have primarily focused on strengthening their midfield this summer. They have already signed Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai from Brighton and Leipzig respectively.
The club could now prioritise other departments. A new attacker could be pursued in the transfer market after the departure of Roberto Firmino following the expiry of his contract last month.
Chiesa would be a good addition to the Liverpool squad. The Italian is only 25 years of age despite making over 200 Serie A appearances. He has the ability to play anywhere in attack.
He has been most successful from the right wing, but has made key goal contributions from other positions too. Last season, he accumulated 4 goals and 6 assists from under 1,500 minutes.
Chiesa suffered minor niggles during the second half of last season, but he looked back at his best in the final few weeks.
Liverpool could be tempted to make an approach for him in the near future, but the big question mark is whether Chiesa can be persuaded to join without the guarantee of a starting spot.
Chiesa will most likely have to accept a rotational role at Anfield. On the other hand, he could get regular starts at Newcastle, who are looking for a couple of high-profile additions this summer.
They recently missed out on landing James Maddison to Tottenham Hotspur, but look to be progressing over a deal for Leicester City’s Harvey Barnes. Chiesa would be a statement signing for them.