Legendary manager hails Liverpool's 'great move' for Giovanni Leoni

Legendary Italian manager Arrigo Sacchi has endorsed Liverpool's move for Parma's teenage defender Giovanni Leoni and tipped him to become the future of their national team.

Daily Mail Sport reported on Tuesday that the Premier League champions have stepped up their interest in the 18-year-old defender.

Leoni is expected to cost around £35million, with the deal unconnected to Liverpool's pursuit of Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi for a similar fee.

The Italy U19 has only played 17 times in Serie A but the Reds transfer department are understood to like Leoni a lot and are ready to pursue a move to sign him.

Liverpool's interest in Leoni, a 6ft 5in central defender, comes after the Reds previously pursued Lenny Yoro, Jorrel Hato and Dean Huijsen as they seek a long-term successor to captain Virgil van Dijk.

Their interest in Leoni has been praised by Sacchi, who led AC Milan to the the 1988 Serie A title and back-to-back European Cups.

Sacchi dismissed concerns over Leoni's lack of exposure to first team football and stressed that the teenager has already shown he has the talent to perform at the highest level.

'We'll see if the deal goes through, but in any case, I'd say the Reds would be making a great move by signing this young man, whom I followed with interest and curiosity in the second half of last season,' Sacchi wrote in Gazzetta Dello Sport.

'I'm convinced he'll be the lynchpin of the Azzurri defence for a long time.

'Some, regarding a possible transfer to Liverpool, object that this young man has only made 17 Serie A appearances so far. Aren't those few? No, I reply. Not few, because on those occasions Leoni has demonstrated the qualities needed to go far.

'If someone is good, if someone has their head in the right place, it's immediately obvious. A person can have 200 Serie A games under their belts and still not possess the qualities Leoni displayed in his first season as an adult. Talent knows no age.

'Let's also give him the opportunity to make mistakes. At eighteen, some mistakes are expected and can be forgiven. And in any case, Leoni won't make many.  He's a tough guy who's already learned the fundamental lesson, keep your head down and work hard.'

Sacchi added that while Liverpool's interest in Leoni made him 'immensely happy', he was angered that Italian giants AC Milan, Inter, Juventus and Napoli were not challenging for his signature.

Leoni had only joined Parma last summer in a deal worth an initial £4.3m from Sampdoria, who had only months earlier activated a £1.3m option to make a loan move from Padova permanent.

The teenager had played under former Italy international Andrea Pirlo at Sampdoria, during his stint in charge of the Serie B side.

Pirlo, like Sacchi, had dismissed concerns about the defender featuring in the first team at a young age and backed him to become a star of the future.

'If someone had doubts about starting him from the first minute, I had none,' Pirlo said in March 2024.

'I see him every day in training. He played as a mature youngster, he will become a strong footballer.'