Parma Starlet Leoni Flying to Liverpool to Seal Move | OneFootball

Liverpool have wrapped up the negotiation with Parma for Giovanni Leoni in a hurry. The defender flew to England for the final formalities on Thursday. The Premier League champions will shell out €31M plus €4M add-ons and 10 percent of a future sale, Sky reports.

It’ll be the fourth richest sale in the history of the Gialloblù after Hernan Crespo, Gianluigi Buffon, and Lilian Thuram. The 18-year-old has had a meteoric rise in the last couple of campaigns. Sampdoria signed him on loan from the Padova youth academy in January of 2024. He quickly became a starter in Serie B. The Blucerchiati bought him out for €1.5M in July but only to swiftly resell him to the Ducali for nearly €5M a month later.

Leoni needed a few months to get acclimated to the top flight but has been indispensable for Parma from January on, eventually attracting the interest from the Serie A heavyweights and Liverpool.

The Reds targeted him due to Ibrahima Konaté’s uncertain future and Joe Gomez’s lack of fitness, TuttoSport relays. According to Fabrizio Romano (via SOSFanta), Milan and Inter never made a serious move for him despite their interest because they deemed him too expensive from the jump.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the center-back aspired to play in the Premier League, and his idol is Virgil Van Dijk.

Our Take on Leoni Going to Liverpool

The fee is lofty considering he has less than 20 Serie A appearances under his belt, but it’s not ludicrous considering his age. His domestic admirers should have had more courage and foresight. He could fix a defense for 15 years if he fulfills his potential.