Liverpool close in on Federico Chiesa transfer after reaching agreement with Juventus for Italian attacker

Federico Chiesa is bound for Merseyside ahead of the medical and finalization of personal terms in a move to Liverpool that, per a source, could be worth up to $16 million. With a fee agreed between Juventus and the Premier League sides, it is only the formalities left before Arne Slot is handed the first addition to his squad since taking charge, a 26-year-old winger who few might have imagined would have been at the top of the Anfield wish-list at the start of the summer.

"I'm ready to begin this new adventure," Chiesa told reporters before boarding a flight bound for England. "I want to say goodbye to the Juventus fans. Thank you for your affection and for these years. I will carry you in my heart and thanks to Juventus.

"Is it sad to leave Juve like this? It's sad, but I'm really happy for this new adventure. I'm really happy and my family and I can't wait."

With a year to go on his contract and Thiago Motta having indicated that Chiesa is not part of his plans in the Juventus first team, the Italy international was available for what looks to be a bargain price. Only two years ago Chiesa was making a permanent switch from Fiorentina to Juventus for around $55 million, a price that itself seemed perfectly reasonable for one of the stars of Italy's Euro 2020 triumph.

If Liverpool have got anything like that player, one who averaged a goal or assist every 150 minutes of Serie A football in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, then they will have snared a bargain to compare with any of the best deals that football chief executive Michael Edwards has made. A few months after the blistering high of Wembley Stadium, however, Chiesa suffered a significant ACL injury. Over the two subsequent seasons he would manage just 1710 minutes of league football, his production taking a nose dive as he worked himself back to full fitness.

As is often the way, one major injury would beget further issues, five separate instances sidelining him in the 2023-24 season. That campaign, however, showed some signs of a renaissance for the Fiorentina academy graduate. Deployed in a strike partnership with Dusan Vlahovic, the goals flowed again for Chiesa. Though the shots were not necessarily the best quality, he was averaging over three of them per 90 on his way to his best league scoring return in four years. Add in what was, by a fair margin, the most chances he had created for team mates per 90 and you have a player who might just be getting back on the right trajectory.

The path he is on may not lead to the Liverpool first team but at that price point it is easy to see why Slot and Edwards would not be that bothered. The frontline the Reds have rolled out in the two 2-0 wins with which they have begun the season is hardly to be sniffed at -- Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz -- while Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez provide plenty of depth, even if the limited involvement of the latter will inevitably prompt questions over his future. Five might seem plenty but another option never hurt anyone.

Instead, Liverpool have gotten themselves what looks to be a versatile bench piece at the very least, who might either move back to Italy for a decent profit or offer cover in a multitude of positions over the coming years. That's not to be sniffed at at the sort of price that otherwise might not even get you a striker out of the Championship.