Liverpool have agreed a £12.5m deal with Juventus to sign Italy forward Federico Chiesa.
The fee for the 26-year-old is £10m up front, plus £2.5m in add-ons based primarily on his first-team performances.
Sky Sports News revealed on Monday that Liverpool had made inquiries about the player, who has been told he can leave Juve.
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The Transfer Talk panel give their reasons why they believe Federico Chiesa would be a good signing for Liverpool and how the Italian forward could fit into their system after an injury-stricken period
Barcelona had also been said to be interested in Chiesa, but are struggling to free up the margin in their wage bill to be able to register him, while interest from Saudi Arabia was believed to have posed the biggest competition to Liverpool in securing his signature.
Chiesa joined Juventus on a permanent deal in 2022 following an initial two-year loan from Fiorentina and has made 98 appearances for the club, scoring 21 times.
‘Chiesa has so much talent – but needs to develop’
Italian football expert Mina Rzouki on Sky Sports News:
“He’s an incredibly direct player, he can play on the left or right – he can even play as a second striker although he’s not a huge fan of doing that.
“You need to just watch the Euro 2020 match against Spain, and even in the final. It’s his acceleration, his dribbling, his top speed, he covers a lot of ground.
“As he’s got a little bit older it’s a little bit less-so, but it’s partly the style Juventus play too. He’s not someone who occupies space in exactly the way Italian coaches love, or what is needed in Serie A.
“He sometimes can’t rid himself of his marker, and he hasn’t yet fully connected with a coach who has been able to fully develop his talent.
“He’s got bags of talent, so much technique – but it’s about reading the game, knowing how to play with your team-mates, how to get rid of markers.
“That’s not really been his forte; it can sometimes be head-down, dribbles, a one-man band. He’s got a beautiful finish on him but it’s about incorporating into the team dynamic more.”
When does the summer transfer window close?
The 2024 summer transfer window officially closes on August 30 at 11pm UK time in the Premier League and 11.30pm in Scotland.
The Premier League has brought forward Deadline Day to link up with the other major leagues in Europe. The closing dates were set following discussions with the leagues in England, Germany, Italy, Spain and France.
