Centre-back set for medical this week
Liverpool have reached an agreement with Parma to sign 18-year-old centre-back Giovanni Leoni for a fee of around £26m plus add-ons.
The Italy U-19 international is expected to travel to Liverpool to finalise personal terms and undergo a medical, with the process set to begin on Thursday.
Liverpool have ruled out any possibility of a loan, as they intend to integrate him straight into the first-team squad.
Leoni joined Parma last summer from Padova and made 17 Serie A appearances in his debut top-flight season as the club secured survival in 16th place.
He signed a long-term deal with Parma running to 2029 but is now set to make the move to the Premier League champions.
The transfer comes after Liverpool’s sale of Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen and ongoing talks with Crystal Palace over Marc Guehi.
The club currently have only two fully fit central defenders – Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate – ahead of Friday’s league opener against Bournemouth.
Joe Gomez recently returned to training after an Achilles problem ruled him out of the club’s pre-season tour of Asia, but he is still working his back to full fitness.
Liverpool have already added Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Hugo Ekitike, and Milos Kerkez this summer, while they continue to monitor Newcastle striker Alexander Isak.
