Heartbreak as Federico Chiesa's dream looks shattered

It was reported in January that Federico Chiesa was open to a move back to Serie A - even on a temporary basis.

Juventus and Napoli were among the teams named as interested in the 28-year-old Liverpool forward - but no deal was ultimately concluded.

Juve went for Jeremie Boga instead while Napoli are benefitting from the development of Antonio Vergara and Alisson Santos. It means Chiesa remains stuck in limbo - and he is running out of time to fulfil his FIFA World Cup dream.

Situation summary: Federico Chiesa

Federico Chiesa joined Liverpool from Juventus in September 2024 for around £10–12.5m on a four‑year deal and earns roughly £150,000 per week, putting him in the upper‑mid salary bracket of the squad.

He has shown flashes of impact – notably late goals off the bench and his stoppage‑time strike at Crystal Palace this season – but has struggled to secure a regular Premier League starting role under Arne Slot, with most league appearances coming as a substitute and some frustration over minutes.

Chiesa was even initially omitted from Liverpool’s 2025‑26 Champions League squad, underlining how far down the pecking order he is despite being a senior international and a relatively high earner.

Current reporting suggests Liverpool are open to a permanent sale in 2026, valuing him at around £13m and unwilling to consider loans, with Juventus interested in taking him back and other clubs, including Besiktas, monitoring his situation.

Chiesa’s own stance has been publicly to fight for his place, but most coverage frames this season as likely the beginning of the end of his Liverpool spell, with the club already scouting a younger, more versatile forward profile to replace his squad role.

Analysis

One of the chief reasons behind Chiesa’s willingness to move back to Serie was a desire to win his place back in the Italy squad.

The Azzurri are up against Northern Ireland in the World Cup playoff semi-finals later this month with the winner taking on either Bosnia-Herzegovina or Wales.

But according to a report in Calcio Mercato it now appears certain that Gennaro Gattuso - the Italian head coach - is going to omit Chiesa.

“Federico Chiesa is unlikely to be part of the Azzurri squad (at least for the play-offs)," the report reads.

“The striker is finding little room in Slot's squad, failing to consistently play and unaccustomed to playing 90 minutes at a time.

“This is a significant factor that the coach will have to take into account, at least for the March matches.”

If Italy qualify for the World Cup - their first since 2014 - then Chiesa may well come back into contention. But he is going to require a lot of minutes at club level - with Arne Slot offering no guarantees.

He has started only once for the Reds in the Premier League this term.

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