Liverpool could land a significant upgrade on Xherdan Shaqiri over the coming months after being linked with a move for Juventus forward Federico Chiesa.
What’s the story?
According to Italian outlet , the Reds have made contact with the Serie A giants over a possible move for the 23-year-old this summer.
Chiesa spent last season on loan at Juve from Fiorentina, but the Old Lady are set to make the move permanent in a €60m (£51.44m) deal after being impressed by the youngster.
The report states that Jurgen Klopp’s charges lead a group of Premier League clubs interested in acquiring the Italy international’s services, with an asking price possibly exceeding €80m (£68.6m) mooted for the winger, who is valued at £63m by Transfermarkt.
Huge upgrade on Shaqiri
Despite the extensive speculation surrounding Chiesa’s future, it’s also believed that Juventus have no plans to either back out of signing the highly-rated talent or let him leave once the deal has been completed.
Nevertheless, Liverpool’s director of football Michael Edwards is a notoriously astute negotiator, so a potential deal could still be on the cards.
After arriving at the Allianz Stadium 12 months ago, Chiesa has showcased his world-class potential on a regular basis, bagging 15 goals and providing 11 assists in 46 appearances for Juve throughout 2020/21.
His addition to Klopp’s ranks would be a much-welcomed one after the 19-time English champions suffered in front of goal last term.
The usually dependable duo of Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino suffered a significant drop-off in form, while their backups Divock Origi and Shaqiri failed to adequately replace them.
In fact, since the beginning of the 2019/20 campaign, Shaqiri has only contributed one goal and two assists in 20 top-flight appearances, highlighting the upgrade Liverpool would be getting should Chiesa make the switch to Merseyside.
After finishing a whopping 17 points behind champions Manchester City in the 2020/21 campaign, the Anfield outfit are expected to be in the market for several signings, and bringing in Chiesa would be a serious statement of intent.
Targetting a player described as “extraordinary” by Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann should certainly excite the club’s supporters, but it remains to be seen whether Liverpool can afford the Euro 2020-winning forward.
In other news… Liverpool plot big-money bid for “complete” £60m machine, Jurgen Klopp will be elated
