Liverpool STOLE Federico Chiesa after he AGREED deal with Barcelona

A sensational report in the Spanish press has explained how Liverpool were able to secure the signing of Federico Chiesa, despite a deal with Barcelona having been very close.

Chiesa was officially announced by the Reds on Thursday afternoon on a four-year deal after Juventus were willing to let him go for just £12.5m, and it’s clear to see that the player himself has been very happy with moving to Anfield.

It was a very opportunistic transfer from Liverpool and new sporting director Richard Hughes. After it had become clear that Chiesa was available, the new transfer hierarchy moved quickly to secure the Italian’s services ahead of interest from elsewhere, most notably Barcelona.

Now it has come to light just how close the Catalan club were to signing Chiesa ahead of Liverpool, and the details of Barcelona’s negotiations with both Juventus and the player make for very interesting reading.

Read more: Liverpool ALMOST made SHOCK deadline day transfer and could RETURN in January

Diario Sport have reported that Chiesa had agreed a three-year deal with Barcelona, but as has often been the case in the last few years for them, financial complications contributed to the deal breaking down and Liverpool swooping in. 

Barcelona failed with Chiesa deal

Apparently, Barcelona could not even afford the €10m fee Juventus asked for, with sporting director Deco even telling the Turin club that they simply did not have the cash available to pay, asking instead if they could spread that €10m over five years.

Both Juventus and Chiesa were not happy with this arrangement, given that the club wanted Chiesa’s fee in a more immediate manner and Chiesa himself not wanting to sign for five years, especially given he would already have to make a financial effort to sign with Barcelona.

Luckily, Barcelona’s pain is sure to be Liverpool’s gain, given how enthusiastic all parties seem to be with Chiesa’s arrival.