Liverpool are now about to sign one of the best young players in the world

Liverpool are closing in on the signature of one of the best young players on the planet.

Richard Hughes has delivered a spectacular transfer window so far. Obviously, just how spectacular this window is will depend on how successful the players he brought in will become.

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But on paper, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez are all great signings. They are players who can play at the highest level, and are regarded as some of the best young players in their positions.

They were also sought after. Pretty much all of them were wanted by at least one of Liverpool's Premier League rivals.

Hughes' influence played a key role and he was able to persuade them to join Liverpool.

And he's not done yet. No he's ready to end the transfer window with a flourish.

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Obviously, Alexander Isak remains the most coveted prize. However, Hughes will also be aware of Liverpool's defensive deficiencies which has seen them struggle in pre-season because of the lack of depth.

Joe Gomez has returned to action but even with him in the side Liverpool only have three senior centre-back options. This is why Hughes has pursued a move for Marc Guehi all summer.

That's also why Hughes is now looking to complete a move for Giovanni Leoni, who will be arriving for a medical after the Reds reached a £26m agreement with Parma for his services.

Leoni will be an unfamiliar name to a lot of Liverpool supporters. He's only 18-years-old but he's been around Italian football circles forever.

He made his senior debut back in the 2022/23 season, when he was just only 16-years-old. Back then Leoni was playing for Padova in Serie C and he made a gradual rise to the top moving to Sampdoria in Serie B before switching to Parma in Serie A.

He's an accomplished centre-back, despite his limited experience.

For players in the same age group as him, who are 18 years old or younger, there are few who can match his quality and potential. Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri are probably the only players comparable.

Leoni is easily in the top five among them. So, ergo, he's one of the best young players in world football.

The numbers back this up, too.

In Europe’s top five leagues last season there were only two U20 centre-backs who won over 60% of their defensive and aerial duels.

One of them was Giovanni Leoni. He won 69% of his defensive duels and 64.5% of his aerial duels.

Liverpool are about to sign a gem here. For a bargain price, too. Hughes has done it again.

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