Liverpool player changes mind about transfer after Andoni Iraola joins the team
Federico Chiesa was linked with a move at the start of the summer, but he’s excited to start a “new chapter” at Liverpool with new head coach Andoni Iraola in charge.
Chiesa joined Liverpool from Juventus back in 2014 for around £12.5 million. Under the previous coach, Arne Slot, he didn’t get many chances to start. Last season, he played 26 Premier League games but only started once, which made him think about his future at Anfield.
Last month, Chiesa told Gazzetta dello Sport, “I want to play, and if I don’t get regular minutes here, I’ll have to look elsewhere. Last season, I hardly played at all.” He added, “I’ll go to the U.S. for pre-season, then talk with the club and Iraola to see what happens.” Since then, he even scored in Iraola’s first game as manager, a 4-2 win over Sunderland.
There have been rumors about him returning to Italy, but it seems like Chiesa will stay at Liverpool for the 2026-27 season. Before Liverpool’s pre-season game against Wrexham on July 29, he shared his excitement about the “new chapter” with Iraola.
“I’m doing my best to earn a spot here — we’ll see what happens,” he said. “Right now, all I’m focusing on is Liverpool. It’s hard to say if it’s a fresh start with Iraola. Every year feels like a fresh start. Maybe there have been too many, but I don’t mind. I’m just trying to give my best for the new coach. Last season, I did the same under Arne Slot.”
Chiesa added, “Last year, I felt ready for a bigger role, but playing time was up to the coach. Of course, I wanted to play more, but that’s football. The coach made his decisions, and I respect that. This year feels like a new chapter because we have a new manager, so I need to focus on that.”
This season, Chiesa will have to compete with new players as Liverpool looks to refresh their attacking line. One big name linked with a move to Anfield is PSG forward Bradley Barcola. On Tuesday morning, journalist Ben Jacobs said Liverpool have held “preliminary talks” for the 23-year-old.
While PSG and Liverpool haven’t started formal talks yet, that’s expected to happen soon, with Barcola as Liverpool’s top target. However, the price might be a problem. French outlet RMC Sport reports that PSG wants €170 million (£145 million), which Liverpool sees as way too high.
Liverpool is planning to offer less and try to bring that price down. Jacobs says, “Liverpool tried to sign Barcola last summer when his value was about €85 million. They’re not willing to pay twice that now.” RMC also reports that Barcola wants to leave PSG after turning down a big contract offer about three months ago.