Newcastle United have moved ahead of Liverpool in the race to sign Juventus winger Federico Chiesa.
The 25-year-old has been linked with a move away from Turin this summer, having fallen out with manager Max Allegri. Should Chiesa be sold, Liverpool have been mooted as a possible destination.
And according to Calciomercato, that could still be the case. However, Newcastle are now seen as the most likely club to sign the Italian.
The Magpies are said to be ‘dreaming’ of bringing Chiesa to St James’ Park following the arrival of his Italy teammate Sandro Tonali. They’re the current ‘experts’ favourite.
Liverpool reportedly can’t be ruled out, though. Jurgen Klopp in particular is claimed to be pushing to sign Chiesa, as he looks for his team to bounce back from a poor season. Klopp is claimed to be ready to pair the Juve man with star forward Mohamed Salah in an attempt to do that.
But above all, Chiesa is now said to be more likely to stay at Juventus than sign for either English club. Despite his ‘many admirers,’ the Italy international reportedly could yet ‘seek redemption’ with Allegri at the Allianz Stadium.
Chiesa still on the market
In reality, it seems unlikely that either Newcastle or Liverpool will sign Chiesa this summer. Both look pretty well-stocked in wide forward areas.
Had either needed a player in his mould this summer though, the former Fiorentina man would look like a bargain.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Juventus could sell Chiesa for just £51m. That’s a lot of money, granted, but it’s far cry from the kinds of quotes Liverpool were seemingly getting for him not too long ago.
Quick, explosive and two-footed, Chiesa just needs the right manager to bring out the best in him. Klopp could certainly be that coach and the German has been claimed to be ready to put the player straight in his first XI. But we simply can’t see it.
It’s true that Liverpool will need someone to fill in while Salah is away at AFCON in January and February. Right now though, we’d expect that solution to come from within.
There have been claims that new signing Dominik Szoboszlai could be used to that effect. We think it’s much more likely that will be the case then Liverpool will bring in someone like Chiesa.
For Newcastle, they already have the likes of Allan Saint-Maximin, Miguel Almiron, Anthony Gordon and Jacob Murphy. Although Chiesa would perhaps be an upgrade, we’re not sure he’s a priority for Eddie Howe right now.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
