Liverpool's Attack Overhaul Exposes Chiesa Gamble
Liverpool’s overhaul of their attack is accelerating – and it is leaving little room for sentiment or second chances.
Victor Munoz has already walked through the door, a £34 million statement signing after sporting director Richard Hughes activated the Spain World Cup winner’s release clause at Osasuna. He is the first piece in a sweeping redesign of the frontline for 2026/27.
He will not be the last.
Wingers wanted – at a premium
Liverpool’s recruitment brief this window has been clear: more one-v-one threat out wide. That need sharpened the moment Mohamed Salah left on a free to Trabzonspor, ripping out a huge chunk of end product and experience from the right flank.
The club’s main target is Bradley Barcola. Paris Saint-Germain are holding firm, demanding a package worth £145m before they even consider letting the France winger go. Liverpool know the price. They also know that elite wide players rarely come cheap.
Barcola is not the only PSG talent under discussion. Ibrahim Mbaye, just 18, is another name on the list, with the two-time European champions believed to want around £60m for the teenager.
Liverpool have also pushed forward on Yankuba Minteh. Formal bids have gone in and there is optimism that a deal can be completed, provided Brighton’s £70m valuation is met. If the numbers line up, the club could end this window with a completely reimagined set of wingers.
Those kinds of moves do not happen in isolation. Someone has to make way.
Gakpo cash, Chiesa questions
Cody Gakpo is one obvious candidate. The Dutchman has been linked with a high-value switch to Tottenham Hotspur, a transfer that could bring around £72m into the Anfield coffers and help fund the new-look attack.
Then there is Federico Chiesa.
The Italy international arrived in 2024 as Arne Slot’s sole addition when the Dutchman took charge. On paper it looked smart: a Euro 2020 winner, proven at Juventus, capable of operating across the frontline. In reality, he has never settled in the Premier League.
Two seasons on, Chiesa’s Liverpool spell reads like a misstep. He earns £150,000 per week, a sizeable wage for a player who has not become a guaranteed starter. With Liverpool now scouring Europe for explosive wide options, that salary suddenly looks like a resource they would rather allocate elsewhere.
Inter smell a bargain
Inter Milan have moved into position. The Nerazzurri, who are working to finalise Luis Henrique’s transfer to Roma – expected to be a loan with an obligation to buy – have identified Chiesa as a ready-made replacement once that deal is sealed.
“It's no secret that Federico Chiesa has long been in Inter's sights: the Liverpool striker fits the profile of the player the Nerazzurri are looking for,” Sportal reported, underlining how long-standing the admiration is.
The issue for Liverpool is the price.
Chiesa joined from Juventus for a fee that could rise to £12.5m. At the time, that looked like a low-risk punt on a player with pedigree. Two underwhelming seasons later, his value has crashed.
Inter are pushing to pay only €10m, around £8.5m, for the 28-year-old. Earlier in the window, Liverpool were understood to be seeking close to £20m. That figure now looks optimistic.
“Chiesa's market value currently stands at less than €10 million: a tempting opportunity that Marotta could seize,” the same report noted, adding that the Roma–Luis Henrique agreement – worth roughly €30m including bonuses – is the key that unlocks Inter’s move for Chiesa.
A costly misstep for Hughes
For Richard Hughes, this is uncomfortable territory. Chiesa’s time at Anfield is veering towards the “disasterclass” category from a financial perspective.
Two seasons of limited impact, £150k per week drained from the wage bill, and now the prospect of selling at a loss – all while Liverpool chase wingers commanding £60m, £70m, even £145m fees.
He was meant to be Slot’s first building block. Instead, he risks becoming a cautionary tale at the start of a new era.
If Inter get their way and land Chiesa for €10m, Liverpool will absorb the hit and move on, banking the savings on wages and ploughing them into the next wave of wide forwards.
The question now is simple: in a summer when Liverpool are ready to spend big to fix the flanks, how much more room is there for expensive experiments that never quite catch fire?
