Report: Liverpool Looking to Send Struggling Federico Chiesa Back to Serie A

Premier League leaders Liverpool are reportedly considering sending Federico Chiesa back to Italy. The former Juventus attacker has struggled for minutes in England and needs regular game time to get back to his best.

Federico Chiesa Has Had a Frustrating Spell at Liverpool

In August, Liverpool signed Italy international Chiesa for a cut-price €12 million ($12.96 million) fee from Serie A giants Juventus. At the time, it was seen as a masterstroke from Slot and Co., and understandably so. They had signed one of Juve’s best players and Italy’s standout performer in the 2020 European Championship for chump change, giving themselves a leg up in the Premier League title race.

Unfortunately, the move has not worked out, with the 26-year-old struggling to break into Slot’s XI. He has featured in just one Premier League game, playing a total of 78 minutes across three games in all competitions so far.

Chiesa did not make the squad for the clash with RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday (October 23), possibly because his sharpness is still markedly below his peers. Explaining his situation, Slot said:

“He missed a complete pre-season, and going to a league where the intensity might even be higher than the Italian league, it makes it difficult for him to make the step towards the intensity levels the rest of the team is at at the moment. 

“That has not so much to do with the Italian league or the Premier League, that has more to do with him missing a complete pre-season, and that is so difficult for every player – when the games are constantly there – to build them up towards the levels we are at.”

Chiesa Could Head Back to Italy This Winter

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, Liverpool is trying to find a way to secure more game time for Chiesa, and as things stand, he might have to leave Merseyside to get it. A return to the Serie A could be on the cards, as three Italian clubs are keeping tabs on his situation.

As per the outlet, Milan, Inter, and Roma are the three teams cautiously interested in g Chiesa. They are aware of his poor injury record, but think he could still be a difference-maker, at least in the short term. It is, however, unclear whether Chiesa wants to return to the Italian top-flight in January.

Chiesa, who is worth €30 million/$32.41 million (via Transfermarkt), played 235 Serie A games between Fiorentina and Juventus, scoring 47 goals and providing 43 assists.