Liverpool fighting rivals for wonderkid defender: report

Liverpool are recruiting heavily following Premier League success in Arne Slot's first season

Liverpool once again find themselves in a race with top Premier League rivals for a highly-rated young player.

They have already shrugged off Manchester City to land Florian Wirtz during this window, and Alexander Isak’s declaration that he wants to explore his options, following the Reds’ enquiry earlier this month, seems ominous for Newcastle United.

But Liverpool’s lavish spending doesn’t seem to be stopping there, as they reportedly go into battle for a sought-after young defender.

Liverpool to battle Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur for defender

Liverpool have already beat Newcastle to Hugo Ekitike this summer (Image credit: Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

One of the only areas Arne Slot’s side hasn’t improved upon this summer is central defence.

With Ibrahima Konate in the last 12 months of his current deal and Real Madrid holding an interest, added to the sale of Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen, it’s a position the Reds may soon want to address, and are already making moves in that direction.

Liverpool may soon have a centre-back need with Ibrahima Konate's contract situation up in the air (Image credit: Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)

According to Corriere dello Sport, the Reds are one of three Premier League sides who hold an interest in Parma centre-back Giovanni Leoni.

The Italy youth international is just 18 years old but turned out 17 times in Serie A for the Gialloblu last season.

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Liverpool face an uphill struggle, however, as the Italian outlet report that the young defender has already committed himself to Inter Milan, accepting that a wait may be necessary as the Nerazzurri raise funds through transfers.

Parma are thought to be asking for €35m for Leoni, a fee much easier to reach for the Premier League’s top sides than it is in Italy, creating some speculation that the likes of Liverpool could steal a march on Inter if they drag their feet for too long.

Former Parma boss Cristian Chivu is now in the dugout at San Siro and is hoping to take Leoni with him (Image credit: Getty Images)

In FourFourTwo’s opinion, this still seems like a difficult move to pull off for Liverpool, with Corriere dello Sport reporting that there is “no backtracking” on Leoni’s promise to Inter.

However, as with all deals in football, things can change. As the window plods on, involved parties will begin to get twitchy and, with the requested fee at a level that is not difficult to reach with Premier League money behind you, the deal Inter have teed up could be at risk.

The Reds have already proven how disruptive they can be in the window at the very top level, with Wirtz once destined for Bayern Munich and Isak never having been for sale; in comparison, muscling in on Leoni may feel like a walk in the park.

Leoni is valued at €18m, according to Transfermarkt.

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