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Martin Semmens, the man who signed Giovanni Leoni for Parma last year, has claimed Liverpool has secured the heir to Virgil van Dijk this summer, following the Italian defender’s move to Anfield.
Liverpool fought off competition to sign Leoni from Parma in a deal worth £26million ($35M) plus add-ons. The Reds believe they have brought in one of the brightest young center-backs in Europe, despite Leoni playing just 17 senior matches in his career.
Semmens was similarly convinced of the teenager’s talents when he ratified his move from Sampdoria to Parma the previous year. The ex-Southampton CEO, who also signed Van Dijk from Celtic, was CEO of Krause Group Soccer, the owners of Parma, up until this summer.
Semmens took up a similar role at London City Lionesses last month and revealed his admiration for Leoni in a recent interview.
Asked on talkSPORT if the new Liverpool defender is the “heir” to Van Dijk, he replied: “Yeah, absolutely for me.
“We signed him the second year I was there in the summer, and I have a deep love for the likes of Tino Livramento [for Southampton] and signing these young players. Romeo Lavia: This was the same kind of deal.
“I think it was clearly the best young center-back in Italy, if not Europe. And again, we sold him the vision to come to our club to play in Serie A. I think it was 17 when he started playing, and then when the right moment comes, you will go.
“The view was that they would probably stay there longer than one year, but Leoni was such a level, and again, I think it highlights Liverpool's ability that they spotted that.
“There were other clubs in the Premier League that asked me about him - not as an executive for Parma because I'd left by then, and I told them what I thought, and they didn't follow through on it.
"Five or six Premier League teams asked me," Semmens added. "I told them he's as good as Virgil.
“Liverpool never called me, never asked for a reference, because they've got such an ability to find those players. Top player.”
Newcastle United is known to be among the cohort of interested clubs, after Parma CEO Federico Cherubini revealed a bid from the Magpies was turned down during the transfer window.
“We rejected a higher offer from Newcastle for Leoni,” he told Gazzetta di Parma. “But plans have changed with Liverpool. I’ve always said the club wanted to keep Giovanni, and he’s always said he’d be happy to stay.
“We even turned down an offer from Newcastle, which was more advantageous than the one Liverpool eventually made.
“When the Reds came forward, our plans changed: both because the offer was very attractive and because Giovanni made it clear he was very happy to take advantage of this opportunity.”
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