Arne Slot has confirmed that Liverpool have agreed on a deal with Parma for defender Giovanni Leoni ahead of Liverpool's Premier League opener against Bournemouth. The Reds will fork out £26 million ($35m) for the Italian teenage sensation as the Dutch manager is eager to throw him straight into first-team action.
- Liverpool seal £26m deal for Leoni
- Slot rules out loan move for defender
- Reds’ summer spending surpasses £300m
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Leoni has been given the green light to fly to Merseyside to finalise personal terms and undergo his medical, expected to begin on Thursday. The deal, which includes performance-related add-ons, will take Liverpool’s jaw-dropping summer transfer outlay beyond the £300 million mark, the third-highest single-window spend in Premier League history. Chelsea still lead the charts with £434.5m spending in the 2023/24 campaign.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
It has been reported that there will be no question of Leoni being shipped out on a loan deal. Instead, the plan is to throw him into the mix immediately as the Reds prepare for their Premier League title defence. With only Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté fully fit heading into Friday’s opener against Bournemouth, and Joe Gomez just back from an Achilles layoff, the arrival of a fresh defensive option is timely.
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WHAT SLOT SAID
Speaking to reporters, Slot confirmed: "The clubs have agreed a deal but he hasn’t signed for us yet. The moment he signs for us, I can go into more detail."
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DID YOU KNOW?
Leoni’s rise has been swift. Just last summer, he joined Parma and instantly established himself as a first-team regular, clocking up 17 appearances, 14 as a starter, in Italy’s top flight. Tied to a long-term contract until 2029, the youngster was not expected to leave so soon, but Liverpool’s lucrative offer proved too tempting for Parma to turn down.
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