- Liverpool seal £26m deal for Leoni
- Slot rules out loan move for defender
- Reds’ summer spending surpasses £300m
Leoni has been given the green light tofly to Merseyside to finalise personal termsand undergo his medical, expected to begin on Thursday. The deal, which includes performance-related add-ons, will take Liverpool’s jaw-dropping summer transfer outlay beyond the £300 million mark, the third-highest single-window spend in Premier League history. Chelsea still lead the charts with £434.5m spending in the 2023/24 campaign.
It has been reported that there will be no question of Leoni being shipped out on a loan deal. Instead, the plan is to throw him into the mix immediately as the Reds prepare for their Premier League title defence. With only Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté fully fit heading into Friday’s opener against Bournemouth, and Joe Gomez just back from an Achilles layoff, the arrival of a fresh defensive option is timely.
Speaking to reporters, Slot confirmed: “The clubs have agreed a deal but he hasn’t signed for us yet. The moment he signs for us, I can go into more detail.”
Leoni’s rise has been swift. Just last summer, he joined Parma and instantly established himself as a first-team regular, clocking up 17 appearances, 14 as a starter, in Italy‘s top flight. Tied to a long-term contract until 2029, the youngster was not expected to leave so soon, but Liverpool’s lucrative offer proved too tempting for Parma to turn down.
While Leoni’s paperwork and medical are still to be completed, Liverpool’s immediate attention shifts to their clash against Bournemouth at Anfield on Friday night. The timing of his arrival could give Slot a new option on the bench, but the Dutchman is wary of rushing the teenager before he’s settled.
