Liverpool winger Federico Chiesa is reportedly considering a move away from Anfield just a few months after joining the Premier League side.
The 26-year-old joined Liverpool from Juventus in August for a reported fee of £10 million plus £2.5 million in add-ons, making him Liverpool’s sole major signing in an otherwise quiet transfer window.
At the time, the transfer was seen as a low-risk move due to Chiesa’s experience in Italian football and the relatively modest fee.
However, his time at Liverpool has been challenging. Injury issues, which have affected his career in the past, have limited him to only three appearances, with his last outing in the 5-1 Carabao Cup victory over West Ham.
Ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League game against RB Leipzig, head coach Arne Slot acknowledged that Chiesa has been struggling to adjust to the higher intensity of English football.
“He missed a full pre-season, which I’ve mentioned before, and is now in a league where the intensity might be even higher than Italy’s,” Slot said before Liverpool’s 1-0 win in Germany.
“This isn’t so much about the difference between the leagues, but rather that missing a pre-season makes it hard for any player to reach the intensity levels the team is currently at, especially with the constant match schedule.”
“It’s hard to say, but it’s really disappointing for him to be in and out of training constantly. I feel for him.”
Now, new reports suggest that Chiesa may surprisingly return to Italy only months after arriving at Liverpool.
According to Calciomercato [via FourFourTwo], Chiesa could be loaned out in January, with three Serie A clubs—Inter Milan, AC Milan, and Roma—interested in taking a “calculated” risk on the winger.
Chiesa has stayed quiet about his time on the sidelines, and it’s unclear if he would consider heading back to Italy so soon after joining Liverpool.