Liverpool are planning an audacious and comprehensive overhaul of their central defence in the final weeks of the transfer window, with reports confirming the club is actively working on separate deals to sign both Crystal Palace’s Marc Guéhi and Parma’s teenage sensation, Giovanni Leoni.
Crucially, it has been clarified that the two players are not alternative targets for one another. Instead, manager Arne Slot is looking to bring both defenders to Anfield this summer to provide immediate, top-class depth and fierce competition for places in the new season.
The move for Marc Guéhi is the more advanced of the two deals. Liverpool have already agreed personal terms with the England international, and negotiations are well underway with Crystal Palace over a bargain total package expected to be worth around £35 million. That deal could be completed soon.
Simultaneously, Liverpool are pushing to sign 18-year-old Giovanni Leoni from Parma and integrate him into the first-team squad with immediate effect. Club-to-club talks are ongoing, and the plan is not to loan the highly-rated Italian back out; he would be a part of the senior setup from day one.
A key factor driving both pursuits is that the players are desperate to make the move to Merseyside. Like Guéhi, Leoni is said to have “said yes to LFC and never needed any convincing” to join the Premier League champions.
This aggressive double move is a clear response to Liverpool’s perceived lack of depth at centre-back. After selling Jarell Quansah, the club was left with little senior cover behind the first-choice pairing of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté. Signing both an experienced international (Guéhi) and a top-rated youngster (Leoni) would solve that problem emphatically.