Juventus continues pursuit of Liverpool defender Giovanni Leoni
The Turin club remains interested in signing the 19-year-old defender on loan, despite Liverpool's initial refusal.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 it / Author: Roberto Gearfil Lombardi
Turin giants Juventus have made 19-year-old Liverpool defender Giovanni Leoni their primary target to bolster their defensive line. The Bianconeri are actively looking to integrate young Italian talents as part of their ongoing squad rejuvenation project.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Juventus shifted their focus to Leoni after failing to secure other targets, including Arsenal's Riccardo Calafiori and Chelsea's Marco Palestra. Although Liverpool rejected the initial loan request, the Italian club is undeterred and plans to continue negotiations to bring the player back to Italy.
Leoni moved to England from Parma in the summer of 2025 for approximately 30 million euros. While his contract runs until June 30, 2031, he has only made one official appearance. His debut on September 23, 2025, against Southampton in the League Cup ended prematurely when the defender suffered an ACL rupture.
The pursuit reflects Juventus's strategy to repatriate promising Italian prospects. Notably, on August 29, 2025, Leoni received his first call-up to the Italy national team for the World Cup 2026 qualifying campaign.