Parma have completed the sale of promising young defender Giovanni Leoni to Liverpool during the summer transfer window. Interestingly, the Italian club turned down a more lucrative offer from Newcastle United in favor of the Reds.
Liverpool secured the 18-year-old for a reported €35 million, including bonuses. While Leoni is seen as a long-term investment, he’s also expected to provide immediate depth to a Liverpool backline that’s been stretched thin.
The Merseyside club wasn’t the only one chasing Leoni’s signature. The teenager was also linked with Juventus, Inter Milan, and AC Milan, though it’s unclear how far those clubs went in their pursuit.
According to Parma CEO Federico Cherubini, Newcastle were actually the first club to make a formal bid and it was financially higher than Liverpool’s.
“We turned down an offer from Newcastle, which was actually higher than Liverpool’s,” Cherubini told Football Italia. “But once the Reds came in, everything changed. The player made it clear he was keen to be part of their project.”
Liverpool’s interest in reinforcing their central defense comes after the departures of Jarrel Quansah and Nat Phillips. That leaves them with only three senior centre-backs besides Leoni: Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konaté, and Joe Gomez.
