Federico Chiesa Reportedly 'Has Requested' to Leave Liverpool Just 6 Months After Joining
Liverpool summer signing Federico Chiesa continues to be linked with an early exit in the January transfer window. The 27-year-old, who has made only four appearances for the Reds in the first half of the season was Arne Slot's only new arrival in the summer.
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Chiesa moved to Anfield on deadline day from Juventus having been frozen out by the Serie A side. The Italy international has struggled with injuries in recent months but now he is back fit and could be available for selection against Manchester United on Sunday after being left out of the matchday squad at West Ham United.
Chiesa, who sustained a devastating anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in 2022 had no real pre-season training in the summer and was put on a specialised training programme to get him up to speed.
During this period, doubts over his long-term future first emerged but Arne Slot dismissed any rumours linking him with a move away from Liverpool.
When asked about Chiesa's future in October, Slot said: "[Parting ways with Chiesa] hasn't gone through my mind at all. First and foremost is that he gets fit again and then we can see where he is.
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"He missed pre-season [with Liverpool] and in pre-season [with Juventus] he was on low-intensity sessions as he had to train with three or four players separate from the group.
"Going from then to a high-intensity league, to a high-intensity playing style is difficult in general for every player, but especially if you had a pre-season like this."
Despite Slot's comments Chiesa continues to attract interest from several clubs. Serie A sides Inter Milan, Napoli, and Atalanta reportedly hold firm interest in the forward and are keen on signing him on loan this January.
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According to TBR Football, Federico Chiesa’s representatives have approached Liverpool with the idea of him moving back to Italy this month.
The report claims Liverpool boss Slot is open to the idea of letting Chiesa leave this transfer window. The 27-year-old is said to realise that the players ahead of him cannot be dropped and is still hugely frustrated at his lack of game time.
Should Liverpool sanction his exit this month, the club want the vast majority of his wages covered and they won’t just let him go for free.
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LFC Transfer Room Football Correspondent. Covered the fortunes of Liverpool for the past three years. Follow Joseph on X (formerly Twitter) @joseph_agbobli