Not Because – Parma Reject Offer For Liverpool And Spurs Target For Specific Reason

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Parma have rejected an offer from an unnamed Premier League club for Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur target Giovanni Leoni due to a specific reason.

The 18-year-old Parma defender has been the talk of the town, with a host of clubs lining up to secure his signature; among them are Premier League giants Liverpool, Tottenham and Newcastle United, while Serie A sides are also alive to him, with Inter Milan especially keen.

In the ongoing transfer window, Liverpool have shown that they will not shy away from spending money if they deem the target fitting the profile of the player they are looking for.

They are interested in adding a centre-back this summer and Joe Gomez’s injury, which forced him to bow out from Liverpool’s pre-season tour, has made the topic of a defensive addition a pressing one.

Young centre-back Leoni is on Liverpool’s transfer wish list and it has been suggested that the Merseyside outfit have enquired about him.

However, they are not the only club gathering information on Leoni, as Thomas Frank’s Spurs have also submitted an enquiry for Leoni, who they have been linked with since the early days of the summer transfer window.

The Premier League giants are facing competition from Inter Milan for Leoni as his former boss Cristian Chivu wants to add him to his squad.

According to Italian daily Corriere dello Sport (via Tutto Mercato), Parma have received a bid in the region of €35m from an unnamed Premier League outfit but have turned down the offer.

Parma rejected the bid not due to the amount, but for the specific reason that Leoni wants to stay in Italy and despite Premier League suitors Liverpool and Spurs lining up for him, the defender favours a move to Inter Milan.

However, a deal is not done, as the Nerazzurri have to come up with money to match the €35m bid to agree to a deal with Parma.

At the moment they are depending on outgoings in the upcoming days to come up with the money.

Whoever gets Leoni could have a future star on their hands.

Former Italy defender Marco Lanna has laid out the path to Leoni becoming a top class defender.

Lanna explained: “It’s worth investing in him; he’s a good kid, eager to work.

“If he learns the tricks and the nuances of the trade, he can become a top-class centre-back.”

Parma paid a fee of €5m to sign Leoni from Sampdoria last summer.