Inter Milan could try to steal one of Liverpool’s biggest gems

Milan, Italy – Inter Milan are weighing a summer-2026 swoop for Liverpool’s 19-year-old Italian centre-back Giovanni Leoni, according to a report in Corriere dello Sport, potentially setting up a tug-of-war for a player the Reds rate as a future cornerstone.

Leoni arrived at Anfield only last summer in a £26 million deal from Parma and quickly displaced the out-of-form Ibrahima Konaté, only for a torn ACL suffered on his debut against Southampton in the League Cup to cut his breakthrough campaign brutally short. Despite the setback, Liverpool supporters and staff alike remain convinced the teenager is a generational talent.

Inter’s interest is born of necessity. Veteran defender Francesco Acerbi turns 37 next season, while fellow centre-back Yan Bisseck is attracting admiring glances across Europe. With Alessandro Bastoni—widely regarded as the world’s premier left-footed stopper—showing no desire to leave San Siro and Inter equally unwilling to sell, sporting directors at the Nerazzurri have identified Leoni as a high-upside gamble who could anchor their back line for the next decade.

Liverpool, however, have no intention of cashing in. The Merseyside club still harbour long-term admiration for Bastoni and have even floated the idea of including Leoni in any future negotiations, though Inter’s reluctance to part with their defensive lynchpin makes such a swap improbable for now.

For the time being, Leoni remains rehabilitating and dreaming of a Premier League return, while Inter keep a watchful eye on his recovery and Liverpool brace themselves for what could become a high-stakes transfer battle.

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