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Liverpool has officially confirmed the signing of Giovanni Leoni, with the 18-year-old Italian defender set to take the number 15 shirt under Arne Slot.
In need of defensive reinforcements having sold Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen for approximately $47 million (£35 million), Leoni arrives as a much-needed addition. Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi is another player to have caught the eye of recruitment staff.
Leoni is one of the most highly-rated up-and-coming defenders in Italy, though he hasn't played for his national team's U21s side yet.
"Because it's one of the best clubs in the world!" Leoni told the Reds' official website when he was asked about the decision to select Anfield as his next home. "It's not possible to say no to this club. [It was] easy — because it's one of the best clubs in the world. I didn't say no!
"The continuous [game time] in the second half of the season, I continued to play and to play games [and] to have more confidence in myself. I want to improve a lot with my new teammates in training and after on the pitch, in the Premier League and the Champions League."
Leoni, who also had interest from several clubs in Italy and England, will work with Slot's roster straight away. He doesn't turn 19 until December.
A deal was agreed earlier this week with Leoni completing his medical examinations successfully and putting pen to paper on a contract believed to be until 2031. He will be in attendance at tonight's match against Bournemouth.
"He's still very young but he is definitely one of the brightest of the new breed of Italian defenders coming through," Emmet Gates, an Italian soccer expert for Destination Calcio, told Liverpool.com this week.
"He's comfortable on the ball but not amazing yet — that's something to work on in time. And he is not the finished product by any means.
"He's tall, he's strong. He has a bit of Giorgi Chiellini and a bit of Leonardo Bonucci in him. He is kind of a fusion of the two. He loves a tackle and getting himself about, but he also likes pinging the ball from one side to the next.
"If I were to liken him to anybody, he is kind of a mix of those two."
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"He is a very talented and promising defender, but he has only made 17 appearances in Serie A," Lorenzo Bettoni, the editor of Football Italia, explained.
"His best games were probably against Juventus and Napoli, playing against Vlahovic and Lukaku. Parma beat Juventus and got a 0-0 draw against Napoli.
"That is where you can see all of Leoni's physicality and his ability to read the game. He can defend high up the pitch or in the box. He seems to be a very complete defender — but I am saying 'seems to be' because he is really, really young."
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