Liverpool transfer plans complicated by forward’s HUGE price tag

Tom Hancock

• 29 Jun 2023 15:47 BST
• 3 min read

Liverpool’s pursuit of Federico Chiesa may have hit a stumbling block, with Juventus said to be demanding a hefty fee for the winger.

Reports in Italy claim that Chiesa is on the Reds’ shopping list as they look to rebuild their squad following a thoroughly underwhelming 2022/23 season.

But a deal could prove difficult due to Liverpool and Juve apparently not seeing eye-to-eye in their respective valuations of the Euro 2020 winner, 25.

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According to the Liverpool Echo, the Reds are willing to pay no more than €40m (£34.5m) for Chiesa – who our in-house Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) model currently rates at €30.6m (£26.4m).

However, Juve are believed to want significantly more than that for the former Fiorentina player, with a figure of €60m (£51m) being touted.

In recent years, Liverpool have been consistently frugal in the transfer market – as recently evidenced by their decision to pull out of the race for Jude Bellingham amid concerns over the England star’s price tag.

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The wrong fit

Having initially joined on loan from Fiorentina, Chiesa made his switch to Juve permanent last summer, completing a €42.5m move to the 36-time Italian champions.

He’s made 94 appearances for the Bianconeri in all, scoring 22 goals and winning the 2020/21 Coppa Italia.

Recent years have proved rather frustrating for Chiesa – who, after helping his country to their Euro 2020 triumph, spent the best part of a year on the sidelines due to an ACL injury.

On top of that, he has found his involvement for Juve limited, with manager Massimiliano Allegri tending to opt for a 3-5-2 system which doesn’t naturally cater to Chiesa’s strengths as an attacker.