Arne Slot has confirmed that Liverpool have reached an agreement with Parma for young centre-back Giovanni Leoni, while also being questioned about their interest in Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi.
The Reds began pre-season with just two fit specialist centre-backs in Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, but could end the transfer window with five.
Joe Gomez returned to training on Wednesday following an Achilles injury, while Liverpool struck a deal worth over £26million for Parma youngster Leoni later that evening.
Leoni is set to undergo a medical on Thursday, after which Liverpool are expected to continue their pursuit of Guehi.
Speaking at his pre-Bournemouth press conference, Slot said of Leoni: “The club have agreed a deal, but he hasn’t signed for us yet. The moment he signs for us, I can go into more detail.”
When asked about Liverpool’s interest in Guehi, with negotiations ongoing between the clubs but still apart on valuation, Slot replied:
“The other one is, of course, the answer you always get from me because he’s not our player.
“Unfortunately, he was the captain of the team we lost against last Sunday.
“If you want to have any talks about him, you could go to Palace, [Oliver] Glasner, ask him about him.”
Slot’s response did not deny Liverpool’s interest in Guehi, and it is widely understood that the 25-year-old is a target.
Progress in negotiations could be expected in the coming days, particularly as there is reportedly only a £5million difference between the fee Palace are asking and what Liverpool are willing to pay.
While Sky Sports claimed on Wednesday night that this valuation gap made it more likely Guehi would remain at Selhurst Park until next summer, this appears unlikely.
Guehi is entering the final year of his contract, and Palace chairman Steve Parish has already indicated that the club would sell rather than risk losing him on a free transfer.
Read more: Chelsea to make financial donation to family of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva
