Report: Champions League debutants plotting to raid Liverpool for ‘fantastic’ crowd favourite | OneFootball

One Liverpool player is reportedly being eyed up by a club who the Reds could plausibly face in the Champions League next season.

James Pearce reported for The Athletic on Tuesday that Federico Chiesa is ‘expected’ to be sold this summer and could be set for a return to his native Italy two years after joining the Merseysiders from Juventus.

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The 28-year-old is a hugely popular figure among Kopites but has made little impact on the pitch since his move to L4, with just five goals in 50 appearances (41 of which have been as a substitute).

Como eyeing summer move for Chiesa

As reported by Cronache di Spogliatoio (via Calciomercato), Como have shown a ‘real interest’ in signing the Liverpool forward as they prepare for their first-ever appearance in the Champions League, having finished fourth in Serie A in 2025/26.

In order to comply with homegrown quota requirements for Europe’s primary club competition, Cesc Fabregas’ side are targeting Italian players over the summer, with the Reds’ number 14 viewed as a ‘perfect candidate’ for the Lariani.

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Chiesa could viably leave Liverpool despite Slot sacking

If Chiesa does end up signing for Como in the next couple of months, one of his first games for the club could actually be at Anfield, with the Serie A outfit visiting Liverpool for a pre-season friendly on 16 August.

Coincidentally, that’ll be just over a year to the day after the forward scored a crucial late goal against Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth, and he could conceivably be in opposition to the Spaniard again if the proposed transfer happens and the 43-year-old is (as expected) appointed as the Reds’ new head coach.

Perhaps the departure of Arne Slot, who barely used the Italian, could grant him a new lease of life on Merseyside, but it seems more likely that FSG will cash in on him this summer if a decent offer is tabled and the player is open to leaving L4.

It’s a shame that Chiesa hasn’t been given more of an opportunity at Liverpool, with Paul Ince hailing him as ‘fantastic‘, and there’s an argument to be made that he should be retained given the sparsity of forwards after the exit of Mo Salah and the long-term injury to Hugo Ekitike.

We’d certainly like to have the popular 28-year-old as part of the Reds’ squad again for next season, though it wouldn’t surprise us if he were to depart in search of a new challenge either.