LIVERPOOL CONFIRM BARGAIN FEDERICO CHIESA DEAL WITH ARNE SLOT ROLE CRUCIAL

Liverpool have completed the signing of Federico Chiesa from Juventus in a deal potentially rising to £12.5m.

Chiesa, 26, has signed a four-year deal at Anfield after the club confirmed the signing on Thursday. The Reds will pay £10m up front for the winger with the £2.5m in add-ons dependent on the Merseysiders winning the Premier League and Champions League.

Liverpool believe they have got huge value in signing a player they’ve been watching since his Fiorentina days. Italy international Chiesa was valued north of £80m after Euro 2020 - which took place in 2021 due to the pandemic - and the club are confident an ACL injury suffered in 2022 will not be an issue.

They also believe that head coach Arne Slot and fitness guru Ruben Peeters will be crucial in ensuring Chiesa is well managed to avoid further injuries. It is understood that he turned down more lucrative offers in Saudi Arabia to pen a deal worth the same as his Juventus contract, which had one year left to run and was worth around £80,000-a-week.

Liverpool now have six attackers for their front three positions with Mo Salah, Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz already in their squad. Chiesa can play across the front three on either wing or centrally while his arrival means Harvey Elliott will be predominantly used as a No 10.

Chiesa has been impressed with Slot’s early days at Liverpool and believes he can add to his style of play.

Speaking ahead of joining the Reds, Chiesa said he was ready for a new journey. The 26-year-old said: "I’m ready to begin this new adventure. I want to say goodbye to the Juventus fans. Thank you for your affection and for these years. I will carry you in my heart and thanks to Juventus.

“Is it sad to leave Juve like this? It’s sad, but I’m really happy for this new adventure. I’m really happy and my family and I can’t wait.”

And once his move was confirmed, he added: “I'm so happy to be a Liverpool player. When Richard Hughes called me and he said, 'Do you want to join Liverpool?' – and the coach called me – I said yes immediately because I know the history of this club, I know what it represents to the fans.

“So, I'm so happy and I can't wait to get started.”

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

2024-08-29T13:10:43Z dg43tfdfdgfd