Report: European giants targeting Liverpool forward as potential replacement for contract rebel | OneFootball

According to reports from Italy, one high-flying club have their sights set on a Liverpool player as a possible replacement for a current star whose future seems uncertain.

The Reds are currently facing a crossroads over three crucial figures of their own in Mo Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk, whose existing deals all expire at the end of this season, although they’re not the only table-topping club in Europe who are trying to manage a delicate contract situation.

Napoli eyeing potential move for Liverpool forward

Italian outlet La Repubblica have reported (via Il Napolista) that Serie A leaders Napoli have identified Liverpool forward Federico Chiesa as a potential replacement for current talisman Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

Antonio Conte’s side are understood to be struggling to ‘get to the bottom of’ the Georgian’s contract situation, and even though the 23-year-old’s existing deal runs to 2027, there’s already been an abundance of speculation over his future at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

If Gli Azzurri were to pursue the Reds’ number 14, it’d be with a view to signing him next summer rather than in the January transfer window.

(Photo by Jess Hornby/Getty Images)

Hopefully Chiesa will prove himself at Liverpool

Since joining Liverpool at the end of August, Chiesa has endured a hugely frustrating time at Anfield, with ongoing fitness issues restricting him to a mere 78 minutes of game-time under Arne Slot.

However, the 27-year-old was spotted in team training in recent days ahead of the Reds’ Sunday showdown against Manchester City, which may suggest that he could be available for selection soon.

There’s already been a few reports from Italy about a possible return to his homeland for the ex-Juventus star, although LFC are highly unlikely to jettison him this soon into his spell on Merseyside, especially when he hasn’t had a proper chance to prove himself.

Chiesa will nonetheless be conscious that Salah would be near-impossible to displace unless the Egyptian were to leave at the end of his current contract next summer, and also that fellow right winger Ben Doak has been excelling on loan at Middlesbrough and also for Scotland in recent weeks.

Hopefully we’ll soon get to see the Italian having a sustained opportunity to show what he can do at Anfield, having arrived amid considerable fanfare but endured a false start to his career with the Reds.