Liverpool Agrees Deal for Parma Prospect Giovanni Leoni — Slot

Liverpool manager Arne Slot says the club have reached an agreement with Parma to sign Giovanni Leoni, an 18-year-old centre-back. Reports place the fee at £26 million ($35m) for the teenager, who has made 17 Serie A appearances.

Slot, speaking ahead of Friday’s Premier League opener against Bournemouth, cautioned that paperwork is still pending. “The clubs have agreed a deal, but he hasn’t signed for us yet. The moment when he signs for us, I can go into more detail,” he said.

The move follows a heavy summer outlay as the Premier League champions sought to refresh the squad, with around £260 million already spent on Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez.

Leoni’s arrival addresses a thin centre-back group after Jarell Quansah joined Bayer Leverkusen. Joe Gomez has missed most of pre-season through injury, while uncertainty remains over Ibrahima Konaté, who has one year left on his contract.

Liverpool may still pursue further defensive cover before the window closes, with Marc Guéhi of Crystal Palace among those linked. Slot acknowledged the challenge of defending the title, noting both the strength of rivals and turnover within his squad.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luis Díaz, Darwin Núñez and Caoimhín Kelleher have departed, while the club continues to mourn Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash last month.

The fee for Wirtz could rise to a British record £116 million with add-ons. Slot said the Germany international has the mentality to handle expectations, but warned that retaining the league crown will be tougher than winning it:

“We have lost five to six players who played quite a lot of minutes last season, and brought in four, so, normally, there is adaptation.”