New signing ANNOUNCED amid 'active talks' with another star

Liverpool have officially announced the signing of centre-back Giovanni Leoni from Parma, whose shirt number has been confirmed ahead of the Reds’ opening Premier League fixture against Bournemouth.

The 18-year-old joins the Merseyside club on a six-year contract after passing a medical.

Leoni becomes Liverpool’s ninth new signing of the summer after the additions of Giorgi Mamardashvili, Jeremie Frimpong, Armin Pecsi, Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, Freddie Woodman, Hugo Ekitike, and Will Wright.

“I’m very happy to be here. It’s a really great sensation and I’m honoured to be here,” Leoni told Liverpoolfc.com during his first official interview.

“Yeah, a lot [of excitement]. I’m so honoured. I was very happy [about Liverpool being interested]. When I saw this I said, ‘Wow, this is crazy.’ I’m very happy.”

Leoni will wear the number 15 shirt for the Reds, which was last worn by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the 2022/23 season.

Journalist Fabrizio Romano has reported that Liverpool will pay a €35million (£30.2m / $41m) package for Leoni, and it’s understood that £26m has been paid to Parma up front. Meanwhile, a key Reds player could sign a new contract…

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Liverpool in ‘active talks’ with Ibrahima Konate

Liverpool clearly view Leoni as a player who can become a top centre-back in the future. Now, reports suggest that they are working hard to retain a defender who is already a key part of Arne Slot’s squad – Ibrahima Konate.

The 26-year-old French centre-back is a vital player for Liverpool, having made 42 appearances across all competitions last season.

However, Konate’s current contract expires next summer, which has led to speculation that he could leave, amid confirmed interest from Paris Saint-Germain, and links with Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Liverpool certainly don’t want a repeat of the Trent Alexander-Arnold situation with Konate, and are reportedly working hard to tie him down to fresh terms.

Journalist Ben Jacobs has reported that the Reds are in ‘active talks’ over a contract extension for the defender.

“Liverpool are in active talks to renew Ibrahima Konate’s contract,” Jacobs posted on X.

“Nothing agreed yet, but #LFC are still trying for an extension. Dialogue continues with Konate’s representatives.”

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Who is Giovanni Leoni?

By Samuel Bannister

One of the latest big defensive prospects in Italian football, Leoni has worked his way up through the ranks and already has one season of Serie A action behind him by the age of 18.

Born in the Italian capital, he was raised as a Roma supporter. But he never joined his hometown team’s academy, since his family relocated to Padua when he was five years old.

Vigontina were his first youth club, before he developed with Cittadella and ultimately joined Padova as a 12-year-old.

Leoni made his Serie C debut in March 2023, becoming Italy’s youngest professional footballer that season at the age of 16 years and three months.

He made three Coppa Italia appearances for Padova in the first half of the following season before setting out on a loan spell with Sampdoria, stepping up to Serie B in the process and helping his new side reach a play-off spot.

Leoni was an unused substitute in the preliminary round of the play-offs, which Sampdoria lost, and barely two months after his move was made permanent, he was being transferred again.

This time, it was a step up to Serie A for the youngster, still only 17 at the time he was acquired by Parma (his 18th birthday wasn’t until December). Coincidentally, he made 17 appearances in his first Serie A season.

While he statistically doesn’t stand out too much yet, Leoni’s potential makes him attractive to a number of clubs. He has an imposing figure at 6ft 5in, which he makes the most of in aerial duels.

But he also possesses good traits with the ball at his feet and can slot in on the right-hand side of a centre-back department.

That has usually been within a back three so far, but given his ability to play in the middle of that kind of backline, he should be able to adapt to a back four as well. In fact, he was trusted to be at the heart of Parma’s defence in games against the likes of Napoli and Lazio towards the end of the 2024-25 season.

Parma’s head coach at the time, Cristian Chivu, earned a step up to Inter over the summer. And after taking the job, the former Ajax, Roma and Inter defender backed Leoni for a bigger destiny as well, stating his expectations of Leoni becoming a full international for Italy on a regular basis.

So far, Leoni has represented his nation at under-18 and under-19 level. He was named in Italy’s preliminary squad for the under-21 European Championship this summer as well, but didn’t make the final cut.

His trajectory is certainly an upwards one, though, and after the incremental increases in quality he has shown so far, the big boys are now circling.

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