Parma CEO Federico Cherubini has explained that his club actually rejected a better offer from Newcastle this summer to allow Giovanni Leoni to join Liverpool.
The 18-year-old centre-back ended up completing a transfer to Liverpool, and it seems that the Reds were his dream option.
Leoni looks like a big prospect for the future, so Liverpool fans will be delighted to hear how Parma actually helped them get this deal done.
According to Cherubini, Parma could have accepted a more advantageous offer from Newcastle, but it seems Leoni himself was particularly keen on the opportunity to join LFC when it came along.
How Liverpool won the race for Giovanni Leoni transfer
Giovanni Leoni in action for Parma (Photo by Francesco Scaccianoce/Getty Images)
Speaking to Gazzetta di Parma, as quoted by Parma Live, Cherubini said: “We rejected a higher offer from Newcastle for Leoni.
“But plans have changed with Liverpool. I’ve always said the club wanted to keep Giovanni, and he’s always said he’d be happy to stay.
“We even turned down an offer from Newcastle, which was more advantageous than the one Liverpool eventually made.
“When the Reds came forward, our plans changed: both because the offer was very attractive and because Giovanni made it clear he was very happy to take advantage of this opportunity.”
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It was a busy summer for Liverpool as they also spent huge money on big names like Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, and Florian Wirtz.
Leoni wasn’t the most high-profile of their purchases, but he could end up being a really smart long-term addition to Arne Slot’s squad.
Newcastle will also likely regret missing out on this deal, which could have been really useful for their long-term project.
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