Liverpool: Federico Chiesa left out of pre-season tour squad as Reds 'finalise' £79m transfer

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·21 luglio 2025

Liverpool: Federico Chiesa left out of pre-season tour squad as Reds 'finalise' £79m transfer

Reds boss Arne Slot has made some big decisions with his pre-season tour squad

Liverpool may have dropped a clear hint about the future of Federico Chiesa by leaving him out of their pre-season tour squad.

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Arne Slot has named a 29-man travelling party to Hong Kong and Japan but Chiesa is the one notable absentee with the Liverpool Echo reporting that the Italian has been left behind because of a small fitness issue.

Chiesa struggled for game time last season following his arrival from Juventus and scored in a behind closed doors friendly match against Stoke on Sunday.

However, his absence has led to speculation that he could be on the move this summer especially as competition for places across the attacking line is set to increase with the imminent arrival of Hugo Ekitike.

An agreement between Liverpool and Eintracht Frankfurt has been reached and the 23-year-old is expected to finalise the deal before flying out to join his new team-mates in Hong Kong.

The Athletic report that the Reds will pay an initial £69m fee, with potentially a further £10m to be paid in add-ons.

On his way: Hugo Ekitike

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Whilst Chiesa has stayed back in the UK, Luis Diaz has made the trip despite strong links to Bayern Munich.

Last week it was reported that Liverpool had rejected a £58.5m bid from the Bundesliga champions for the Colombia international, though it has been claimed that they are prepared to return with an improved offer.

Diaz cemented himself as a key player under Slot last season. He made 50 appearances across all competitions totalling over 3,000 minutes, but it has been reported that he wants to leave Anfield this summer which makes his inclusion in the tour squad even more interesting.

Summer signings Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Freddie Woodman and Armin Pecsi have all travelled along with Harvey Elliott and wonderkid Rio Ngumoha.