On Monday evening, Fabrizio Romano broke the news that Liverpool have made an approach to Juventus for Federico Chiesa.
The 26-year-old has been linked with the Reds by various outlets from his homeland for many months, but today’s news from the trusted transfer guru has given the rumours a different complexion.
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In that context, the Italy international is a notable omission from the Bianconeri’s matchday squad for their Serie A clash against Verona tonight, with the forward not even included among the substitutes’ bench.
Here’s your #VeronaJuve Starting XI
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— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) August 26, 2024
Amid reports earlier this month that Juventus had reduced Chiesa’s asking price substantially since last summer, it’s telling that the attacker hasn’t featured for his club in either of their first two Serie A matches this term, or at any stage in pre-season.
His last matchday involvement came nearly two months ago in Italy’s Euro 2024 exit to Switzerland, and although the 26-year-old has – to put it politely – a chequered injury history, his recent absences haven’t explicitly been attributed to any fitness problems.
His absence from the Juve squad tonight will inevitably fuel speculation over a potential exit from Turin, particularly in the wake of Romano reporting the news of an approach from Liverpool.
Just as the Reds struck late in the January 2022 transfer window to lure Luis Diaz from Porto, could they be set to execute a similarly sudden heist for Chiesa this week?
His injury record is certainly a concern, although an 11th-hour swoop for a player who Giorgio Chiellini dubbed ‘unstoppable‘ and who could add much-needed depth to Mo Salah on the right flank at Anfield could end up being a shrewd coup, if Richard Hughes can pull it off before Friday night’s deadline.
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