Liverpool reportedly have one condition that must be met before Federico Chiesa is allowed to leave. The Italian has not been able to feature for manager Arne Slott’s side since joining from Juventus in 2024, and it now looks likely that Chiesa will leave in January.
The forward has featured in 20 games this season, but importantly he has started just three for the Premier League champions. The same was true last season, when Chiesa started just four games for Liverpool all season.
Naturally, there has been talk of a return to Italy, and his departure seems to be getting closer and closer. Chiesa is said to have the next World Cup in mind, but Azzurri manager Gennaro Gattuso has yet to select Chiesa for any team.
Turin-based newspaper Tuttosport has reported that Juventus are preparing to make a formal transfer offer for Chiesa, 18 months after selling him to Liverpool for £12.5m.
However, it continues that Liverpool’s current attacking line-up poses an obstacle to a deal, with the Merseysiders unwilling to allow Mohamed Salah to leave until he returns. The legendary Liverpool forward departed for the African Cup of Nations in December, with his Egyptian team reaching the semi-finals of the competition.
Injury problems with Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak have also put Liverpool in a bit of a bind, and it has been suggested that they may look to the market for reinforcements in January.
But when asked about potential new additions, Slott held his cards close to his chest and said: “I’m really happy with our team. Every decision that was made last summer and the summer before last was in perfect agreement with myself, Richard (Hughes) and the owners. This season showed how talented this group is and how good a team we can be if everyone is available.”
Another area where Liverpool feel they are lacking this season is defence, which could have been helped by the arrival of Marc Guehi. The 20-time English champions had agreed a deal for Guehi with Crystal Palace, but the deal broke down at the 11th hour.
Regarding the possibility of signing a centre-back in January, Slott added: “I never talk about transfers in public, much less about transfers from other clubs. My answer is always the same: we don’t talk about players who are not our own players.”
