'Fantastic player' but a 'dangerous move' for Liverpool - who is Chiesa?

Juventus and Italy winger Federico Chiesa is closing successful connected a move to Liverpool.

Manager Arne Slot’s squad person agreed a interest of £10m for nan 26-year-old, who told reporters connected Wednesday he was fresh for a "new adventure".

Chiesa is expected to acquisition a aesculapian successful nan coming days and could go Slot’s first bargain astatine nan club, who person already agreed a woody to bring successful Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili for nan commencement of nan 2025-26 season.

So who is Chiesa? Where will he fresh successful astatine Anfield? And why are Juventus letting him spell for only £10m? BBC Sport finds out…

The boy of erstwhile Italy striker Enrico Chiesa, who scored 139 goals successful 380 Serie A appearances for nan likes of Sampdoria, Parma, Fiorentina and Lazio, Federico had a batch to unrecorded up to erstwhile he joined La Viola from section nine Settignanese arsenic a 10-year-old.

Blessed pinch blistering pace, he quickly roseate done nan younker ranks successful Florence earlier breaking into nan first squad arsenic an 18-year-old, making his elder debut for nan nine successful August 2016 - against nary different than Juventus.

Though still a teenager, it wasn’t agelong earlier Chiesa established himself arsenic 1 of nan first names connected nan squad sheet.

"Chiesa was a awesome subordinate - very unsocial pinch a complete group of skills," a Fiorentina nine journalist told BBC Sport. "He was awesome astatine pressing, defending, and of people attacking, often creating chances retired of nowhere.

"He played near and correct winger successful a 4-3-3, and arsenic a 2nd striker and wing-back successful a 3-5-2. He did everything, and did it well. He needed to amended his finishing, but he was besides playing successful an average, defensively-minded Fiorentina broadside who created small up front."

Chiesa's last play successful Florence was his astir prolific. He registered 10 goals and 9 assists crossed 34 Serie A appearances successful 2019-20, earning him a move to Juventus successful October 2020.

His debut run successful Turin yielded akin numbers, and he appeared to person nan world astatine his feet aft being named successful nan Euro 2020 squad of nan tourney connected nan backmost of respective eye-catching displays for winners Italy - only to suffer an anterior cruciate ligament wounded successful early January 2022 which kept him retired for 10 months.

When he yet returned to action successful November 2022 he struggled to recapture his fittingness and form, managing conscionable 11 goals and 8 assists crossed 54 Serie A outings since - pinch 9 of those goals coming past play nether Massimiliano Allegri.

Capturing a subordinate of Chiesa's calibre and versatility for arsenic small arsenic £10m will beryllium viewed arsenic a shrewd portion of business by nan Reds hierarchy, who will dream he tin recapture nan benignant of shape that made him 1 of Italy's hottest commodities anterior to his ACL injury.

With Chiesa's statement group to expire adjacent summer, caller Juventus head Thiago Motta would intelligibly alternatively rate successful connected nan 26-year-old now than suffer him for free successful little than 12 months' time.

Allegri's successor, who has near Chiesa retired of his first 2 matchday squads this season, is besides known to for illustration a high-pressing style of play - an attack ill-suited to a subordinate who has struggled pinch injuries successful caller years.

"Motta has already told him and respective different players that they are not portion of his plans and are amended disconnected looking for different club," says Italian shot journalist Daniele Verri.

"He would spell for free astatine nan extremity of adjacent year. He is not portion of nan programme.

"But nan woody for Chiesa is besides portion of rejuvenating nan squad and paying little money successful salaries.

"He has trained sometimes alone, sometimes pinch nan group recently, but he has not played because they want to get free of him."

Long-time admirers of Chiesa, Liverpool are bringing successful nan Italy world to complement a guardant statement already boasting Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz.

Chiesa started 3 of Italy's 4 Euro 2024 matches connected nan correct flank - Salah's preferred position astatine Anfield - but astatine Juventus past play he was chiefly deployed arsenic a 2nd striker successful Allegri's favoured 3-5-2 system.

Slot will beryllium assured of bringing nan champion retired of Chiesa astatine Anfield - wherever he decides to play him - but it remains to beryllium seen whether a subordinate who has spent complete 400 days retired injured since November 2021 tin enactment fresh successful specified a physically demanding league.

"He tin bring immoderate due velocity to Liverpool, but he is very prone to injuries," says Verri. "With nan hit and strength of English football, I'm not judge he will header pinch that.

"It is simply a stake for Liverpool. He won’t costs that much, but it is simply a vulnerable move."