Liverpool Close In on Parma’s Giovanni Leoni as Slot Shapes Long-Term Defence
Arne Slot’s first season in charge of Liverpool is already one of bold moves and high ambition. More than £200 million has been spent on new faces — Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez — yet the club still has room to strike again in the market.
Now, all signs point to Parma’s 18-year-old centre-back Giovanni Leoni becoming the latest addition. Reports from Italy suggest the deal could be worth around £30 million, with personal terms close to agreed. The move follows Jarell Quansah’s £35 million departure to Bayer Leverkusen and Joe Gomez’s injury, leaving Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté as the only fully fit senior centre-backs.
Leoni, a tall, composed defender with a rare mix of physical presence and technical skill, made 17 Serie A appearances last season and has been praised by legendary coach Arrigo Sacchi for his maturity and reading of the game. Sacchi, however, expressed frustration that Italy’s top clubs had not moved to keep him in Serie A.
Liverpool see Leoni not as an immediate starter, but as a long-term successor to Van Dijk — someone to develop under the Dutchman’s guidance. While Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi remains on the radar, Leoni fits the age profile sporting director Richard Hughes prefers.
For Parma fans, the move is bittersweet; for Liverpool, it’s a statement of intent. Slot’s rebuild isn’t about short-term fixes — it’s about building a squad that can compete now and for the next decade. If Leoni fulfils his potential, this summer’s investment could look like a bargain in years to come.
