Liverpool are interested in signing Parma centre-back Giovanni Leoni, according to reports in Italy.

It has been claimed that Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi is the No.1 option to replace the departed Jarell Quansah, but if a fee can’t be agreed for the England international, the Reds have been looking at several younger players.

Parmatoday.it say they have it on good authority that Arne Slot’s side have “set their sights” on Leoni as a potential target.

The 18-year-old was only purchased from Sampdoria last summer and Parma won’t let him leave without a fight.

It is believed that Leoni’s asking price is €30m (£25m), which is a sizeable fee for a teenager who has only made 33 appearances in his senior career so far.

Parma have confirmed that foreign clubs are pursuing Leoni

Chief Executive Federico Cherubini has recently confirmed that the centre-half is attracting the attention of other teams:

“There is also interest from abroad in Leoni. We said that his journey, in our opinion, has just begun in Parma and should continue. To date, we have not had any opposing signals from Leoni or his entourage.”

“We are convinced that he can stay in Parma, or in any case that it is the best thing for Parma and for the player himself. The market has just started and anything can happen.”

Liverpool have identified at least 3 other young centre-backs

Leoni is not the only option under consideration. It was reported last week that the Reds hold an interest in FC Nantes’ Nathan Zeze, Club Brugge’s Joel Ordonez and Valencia’s Cristhian Mosquera.

Out of those three, the least likely option is Mosquera. Reliable sources have confirmed that the Spaniard has already agreed to join Arsenal if the Gunners can agree a fee with his club.

In other news, Liverpool have been told to pay £17m if they want to buy an Algerian winger