Federico Chiesa given new INCENTIVE to make Liverpool transfer decision

Liverpool are constantly on the lookout for 'opportunistic' moves that can bolster the squad.

Towards the end of the last summer window, the chance to sign Federico Chiesa became too good an opportunity to miss, so Richard Hughes authorised the club to bolster the attacking group.

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And for just £16m, the once world-class winger made his dream move to Liverpool - the first spell in his career that he would spend outside of Italy.

His injury record was a known concern from the off, but if he was able to be available for even just half a season, then the deal had the potential to be incredibly useful in offering the team a different dynamic going forward.

Sadly, his time so far on Merseyside has been hindered by injuries, and reports are already suggesting that Chiesa might have made a mistake in joining Liverpool.

A return to Italy on the cards?

Having started his career at Fiorentina, before moving to Juventus, Chiesa was a seasoned pro in the Serie A and had he not fallen out of favour at The Old Lady, he would likely have never made the move.

But the opportunity to restart his career, which had stalled over the last few years, was too good to ignore, and Liverpool required a backup player to allow Mohamed Salah's workload at right wing.

As it turns out, Salah is in such an obscene run of form, that leaving him out of a starting XI would be a borderline criminal offence, and Chiesa has simply not been available for selection when Slot has considered rotating the team.

A number of sources have linked him with a potential loan move back to Italy in the winter transfer window, with the possible destinations being Inter Milan, Roma, AC Milan and Napoli, although his wages would need to be split between Liverpool and his loan destination.

Creating a relationship with other Serie A clubs could prove to be beneficial for Liverpool with regard to future signings like Ederson, a defensive midfielder at Atalanta, however, the plausibility of a move back to Italy seems unlikely given Chiesa's plague of injuries.

However, Foot Mercato is reporting that the Italian national team manager, Luciano Spalletti, has convinced Chiesa that it is in his best interest to return to his home country if he wants to return to the international setup.

The Italian report's source said: "In my opinion, Federico can help any team in any championship. It's this type of player that we lack at the moment in the national team, the player who eliminates the opponent and who creates the situation alone for the team without having an idea of ​​what the collective should be.

"He takes his responsibilities, looks you in the eye and offers you the solution himself."

Were a temporary or permanent move to open up, Liverpool would be able to regain a slot in their squad for a new recruit and Chiesa could potentially find himself in a better environment to reignite his career, although he is yet to really have a chance to make an impression on the Liverpool faithful, having missed 15 games already this season.

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