Why Juventus want to sell Federico Chiesa – Liverpool make first approach

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€35 market value 

It’s been a difficult few years for Federico Chiesa and his time at Juventus appears over with Liverpool now looking like a possible destination as the transfer window remains open for just a few more days. On Monday, Fabrizio Romano reported that Liverpool made an initial approach to sign the winger from Juventus. With Juve looking to sell and Chiesa keen on a Premier League move, Liverpool are now exploring the conditions for a potential transfer. 

But how did we get here? The 26-year-old suffered a serious knee injury in January 2022 and he’s struggled to reach his peak level of performance since his return. Chiesa was widely regarded as one of the most exciting wingers in Europe before his injury and he starred as Italy won Euro 2021 – he was named in the team of the tournament. New Juventus manager Thiago Motta didn’t include Chiesa in his squad for the pre-season trip to Germany with the Old Lady looking to cash in this summer with the winger entering the final year of his contract. 

Why do Juventus want to sell Federico Chiesa? 

Juventus are embracing a new era under Motta with the former Italian international arriving in Turin after successfully leading Bologna to Champions League qualification last season. The most successful club in Italy haven’t won the title since the 2019/20 season but they’ll return to the Champions League after not featuring in European football’s most prestigious competition last season. Juventus’ transfer record across the last few years has been poor and they’ve actively targeted younger players this summer as they look to transform their squad with Douglas Luiz, Khéphren Thuram and Juan Cabal already arriving. Despite featuring 33 times last season, Chiesa isn’t considered an integral part of Juventus’ project and is ill-suited to Motta’s style, despite being their fourth most valuable player. Juventus want to sell Chiesa this summer due to his high wages and to avoid losing him on a free next summer as Transfermarkt Italian area manager Stefano Buonfino explains.

 “Chiesa hasn’t been able to play at his best at Juventus for different reasons ” admits Buonfino. “First of all, his bad injury was a major setback and even when he got back, it affected him for many months. Also mentally, Chiesa didn’t seem to fully trust his body after the injury. Then, he played most of the time as a support striker, which isn’t his best position because he’s clearly better as a winger. Because of these factors, Chiesa isn’t considered as one of Juventus’ best players and he has a very high salary that they don’t want to pay as they adapt their approach. So Chiesa and Juventus are considering a transfer now as he wants to be an important player and Juventus could earn some money.”

Which clubs are interested in signing Federico Chiesa? 

Chiesa is attracting interest from clubs across Europe but with the transfer window winding down, it now appears that Liverpool are the most interested club in the Italian with Fabrizio Romano reporting initial talks on Monday. It’s understood that Juventus want around €20 million to sell the winger this summer and those demands won’t deter potential suitors, although his salary demands could. Juventus won’t recoup the €44.6m they paid for Chiesa but there’s a serious risk they could lose him for free as the Italian international could decide to see out his contract to enhance his potential earning possibilities as a free agent. Inter Milan want to sign Chiesa on a free transfer next summer, while Roma would also explore a deal if the winger ran his contract down.

Buonfino added: “A major factor will be if Chiesa is considering leaving now or whether he wants to wait until next year to take the best from the situation – in terms of money and of choosing his preferred team. There are clubs that work in the shadows and probably want to sign him as a free agent. Inter is probably the first club that works in the shadows and Gisueppe Marotta is famous for doing the best with free agents. Chiesa is a big opportunity for Inter in terms of what he can offer but also because  he could be ‘stolen’ from a rival.”

How concerning is Federico Chiesa’s injury record? 

The ACL injury that Chiesa suffered against Roma in January 2022 has been debilitating for his career. It kept him out for seven months and he missed 57 games across the 2021/22 season in total. Since returning from injury, Chiesa has suffered muscular injuries related to his initial problem and he missed 16 games in 2022/23 and 11 games last season. The Italian, however, scored nine goals last campaign which represented his highest goal return in one season at Juventus. But there are legitimate concerns that Chiesa has been unable to perform to his highest levels since suffering his ACL injury but his unquestionable ability will still attract interest from major European clubs.