Man Utd made last-gasp attempt to beat Liverpool for Leoni

Manchester United reportedly made a last-minute attempt to hijack Liverpool’s deal to sign Giovanni Leoni, as per The Times.

The Red Devils endured a dire campaign last term, finishing 15th in the Premier League table. Moreover, they lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.

Having failed to qualify for European football this season, it was thought that their transfer budget would be restricted. However, they have already signed Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Benjamin Sesko by splashing £200m.

Furthermore, they are looking to seal an ambitious deal to sign Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba. It has been reported that the Seagulls don’t want to let him leave for anything less than £100m.

Having already got Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martínez, Ayden Heaven, and Luke Shaw, it was thought that United aren’t looking for a new defender this summer.

However, The Times report that Ruben Amorim’s side were interested in Parma youngster Leoni and even attempted to make a last-minute move to sign the player.

Battle

But Liverpool have managed to win the race for him and are set to pay around £30m, plus a sell-on clause has been included in the deal. The 18-year-old will now undergo medical before finalising the move.

Following Jarell Quansah’s departure, Liverpool needed a new centre-back as Ibrahima Konate and Virgil Van Dijk are the only two centre-backs Arne Slot had at his disposal. Joe Gomez is another option, but hasn’t been able to stay fit since last term and has sustained a fresh injury during the pre-season.

Leoni is a 6ft 5in tall centre-back, and although he is still just 18, he is extremely strong and is capable of reading the game. Moreover, he can play out from the back and is good in the air.

After losing to Crystal Palace in the Community Shield, the Merseyside club will commence their Premier League campaign on Friday night against AFC Bournemouth, and it is looking unlikely that Leoni will be available to feature in this encounter.

Leoni is seen as an option for the future, so Liverpool are also looking for a readymade centre-back option to support Konate and Van Dijk, and have reportedly been working on a deal to sign Marc Guehi.

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