Giovanni Leoni

Giovanni Leoni bolstered Liverpool FC's centre-half options with his arrival in August 2025.The Italian signed for the Reds from Serie A side Parma after a solitary season in his country's top flight.Leoni joined Parma in August 2024 before going on to make 17 appearances and score one goal, becoming the youngest defender in the club's history to net in the premier division.Born in Rome, Leoni's family moved to the city of Padua when he was five years old, and he took his first steps into football with Vigontina San Paolo and AS Cittadella.He then joined Padova and rose through the youth ranks there to debut for their senior team, then playing in Serie C, as a 16-year-old in March 2023.Leoni climbed up a league in February 2024 by signing for Sampdoria, appearing 12 times during his half-season spell in the second tier.Newly promoted Parma moved to acquire his services in August 2024, and a year later the Italy youth international's talents caught the eye of Premier League champions Liverpool.Leoni impressed on his debut for the Reds, against Southampton in the Carabao Cup at Anfield in September 2025, but it was sadly curtailed late on by an injury.Arne Slot subsequently confirmed the defender had suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear that will sideline him for a lengthy spell.