It’s a Richard Hughes masterclass, Liverpool save €100m | OneFootball

Liverpool need to count their pennies this summer.

They have an awful lot of players to add to their ranks and, since they're a sell to buy club, there's probably not a lot left in their war chest at the moment.

And, that's because last summer, they spent £450 million on new players expecting that to be the only overhaul needed for a while.

But, after finishing fifth in the Premier League it's clear that even more money is needing to be invested into Liverpool's ranks.

That is, especially now that Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate have all left.

However, because so many areas of their squad need upgrading, they need to make sure every transfer counts and they get the best possible deal for each target which is why Richard Hughes saving Liverpool €100 million could be key to their title hopes.

Federico Chiesa could be Liverpool's Yan Diomande replacement

Yan Diomande was meant to be Liverpool's marquee signing this summer.

The Ivorian has been at the top of the Reds' shortlist for as long as many can remember with the attacker even saying that it would be a dream to represent the club.

However, developments have emerged over the last couple of days which have made it clear that Diomande is actually going to Paris Saint-Germain rather than Liverpool.

This has forced fans into pandemonium, questioning who they're going to target to fill the void left by Salah.

Bradley Barcola and Yankuba Minteh have been the two players most-linked with Liverpool since Diomande changed his tune but, in reality, Liverpool already have the perfect option in Federico Chiesa.

The Italian made the Anfield switch a couple of seasons ago for around £10 million and, since then, he's been fighting for a spot in the Reds' first team.

But, because Arne Slot never really trusted him and because he was constantly fighting fitness issues, he never managed to become a regular feature.

However, now that Andoni Iraola is in charge and is looking at every player as if they're a new signing, now is the time for Chiesa to shine and prove that he can be the player that Liverpool need him to be now.

Federico Chiesa and Yan Diomande are fairly similar players to one another

There are two main differences between Diomande and Chiesa, one of them is their age and the other is their price tags.

Diomande is only 19 years old whereas Chiesa is 28.

And, both players still have a decent chunk of time left of their careers which is why its so hard to see why the difference in price between the two of them is so large.

The Italian cost Liverpool around £10 million whereas Diomande is likely to cost more than £86 million.

In addition to this, Chiesa and Diomande are very versatile, in fact, the former of the two can even play as a striker if needed.

This is ideal as, with the way that football is going at the moment, versatility is key, especially when game plans need to be changed in an instant.

Each of them are extremely fast and neither of them really have a weak foot.

Statistically, Diomande is much better than Chiesa but, since the Reds already have a fair few options on the right within their club, Hughes could save the Anfield outfit a tonne of money by sticking with them this term.

Chiesa's form for Fiorentina back in the day was a sight to behold and, if he can match those levels again, the Italy international could end up being seen as one of Liverpool's biggest bargains of the last five years.