Federico Chiesa is heading towards the final month of the transfer window with no decision on his Liverpool future, with any call on a transfer forced to wait.
Chiesa is the most senior forward available to Andoni Iraoa as Liverpool begin their time in the United States this pre-season. At 28 and a seasoned veteran from his time in Serie A and with the Italy national team, he is likely to feature heavily against Sunderland, Wrexham, and Leeds.
However, he does so with an expectation that he will eventually leave Liverpool, having fallen by the wayside under previous head coach Arne Slot.
Any decision over Chiesa’s future will wait until late in the summer, with The Athletic reporting that a move would “hinge on future incomings.” Having already sealed a £34.5 million deal for Victor Munoz, the understanding is that Liverpool want at least one more winger, with Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola their leading target.
Chiesa’s ability to play across the forward line means he will likely not be allowed to leave until the likes of Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak return from their post-World Cup breaks and a replacement for Mo Salah is brought in.
Premier League Rules Could Impact Chiesa's Future
A major factor in Liverpool’s standing on Chiesa will be their quota of non-homegrown players for the new Premier League campaign. As it stands, there are 16 senior players who are classed as non-homegrown within Iraola’s squad—which means that, without any further sales, only one more can be brought in.
Calvin Ramsay is another strong candidate for a sale, but with potential signings at right-back and in midfield along with a high-profile forward such as Barcola, it makes Chiesa’s situation more precarious.
The expectation is that, if he does move on, a return to Serie A will be on the cards, with Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Napoli, Atalanta, Roma, and Bologna all having been linked.
Federico Chiesa: “Juventus Is Always in My Heart”
Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport last month, Chiesa admitted that while he was “open to anything”—including a move to Liverpool’s pre-season opponents Como—he would ideally rejoin Juventus.
"Juventus is always in my heart, and I’d like to return," he said. "I’ve never discussed money with Juve, and I never will."
He added at the time: "I want to play. If I don’t find consistency in the Premier League, I’ll have to look elsewhere. I barely played in my first year at Liverpool, and in the last one, very little. I’ll go on a training camp in the US, then I’ll talk to the club and the new manager, Iraola, and we’ll see."