Liverpool summer signing Federico Chiesa is ‘wanted by Italian giants with club pushing for loan deal in January for out-of-favour winger’

One of Italy’s biggest clubs are reportedly hoping to sign Liverpool winger Federico Chiesa on loan in January.

The Italian joined the Reds in the summer in a deal worth £10m but has become somewhat of a forgotten man over the past few months.

Chiesa has made just one appearance in the Premier League and has been left out of the squad for his side’s five top flight matches.

And a loan move could be on the cards as he hopes to make a return to fitness.

Inter Milan are pushing to bring him in on a six-month loan deal in January, according to Tuttosport.

Liverpool believed they had signed a player to add further depth to a forward line that includes Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo. 

However, he has played just 78 minutes of football for the club after arriving with fitness issues.

Manager Arne Slot insisted last month Chiesa’s absence has been due to the Italian having missed pre-season and continuing work to get up to intensity of the rest of the Liverpool squad.

‘With Federico it’s a bit more simple; although it’s more difficult, but it’s a bit more simple to explain,’ Slot said.

‘He missed a complete pre-season, I said this many times, and going to a league where the intensity might even be higher than the Italian league. We just faced the two Italian teams so I can say this now.

‘So that 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.

‘So, difficult to say, but it’s a big disappointment for him that he is going in and out of the training sessions all the time. I feel sorry for him.

Chiesa has played just 18 minutes of Premier League football since joining in the summer 

‘But he signed a long-term contract so we will see what he brings for us. But at the moment, unfortunately for him he has been one or two times in the team selection and not more than that.’

Chiesa had been viewed as one of the poster boys of Italian football when he joined Juventus from Fiorentina.

The winger had starred when Italy were crowned European champions in 2021.

Chiesa’s progress stalled when he suffer a cruciate ligament injury in 2022.