Liverpool's Winger Rebuild: Chiesa Faces Exit as Inter Milan Circles
Liverpool’s overhaul of their attack is only just getting started – and Federico Chiesa looks set to be one of the first big casualties.
Richard Hughes has already moved decisively, activating Victor Munoz’s Osasuna release clause to land the Spain World Cup winner for £34 million. That deal is only phase one. The real shake-up is coming out wide.
With Mohamed Salah gone on a free to Trabzonspor, Liverpool have made one-v-one specialists on the flanks the priority for 2026/27. The club want at least two new wingers, and they’re shopping at the very top end of the market.
PSG’s Bradley Barcola is the headline target. Paris Saint-Germain are standing firm, demanding around £145m for the France international before they even think about letting him leave. Alongside him, another PSG talent, 18-year-old Ibrahim Mbaye, has been discussed, with the two-time European champions seeking roughly £60m.
The net has been cast wider. Bids have gone in for Yankuba Minteh and the early signs are encouraging, provided Liverpool are willing to meet Brighton’s £70m valuation. If that number is hit, that deal is there to be done.
All of that spending has consequences.
Gakpo and Chiesa in the firing line
The hunt for new wide men is pushing existing forwards towards the exit door. Cody Gakpo has already been linked with a high-profile move to Tottenham Hotspur, a transfer that could bring in around £72m and give Hughes even more room to manoeuvre.
Chiesa’s situation looks even more precarious.
The 28-year-old arrived at Anfield in 2024 with a reputation forged at Juventus and cemented at Euro 2020, but he has never truly adapted to the Premier League. On wages of £150,000 per week and with two underwhelming seasons behind him, he now represents a salary Liverpool would clearly rather redirect.
Inter sense an opportunity.
Inter move as Chiesa’s value crashes
Inter Milan have stepped forward in recent days, eyeing a deal for a player who cost Liverpool a fee that could rise to £12.5m. The Nerazzurri’s interest is no secret.
“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 the Italian has been on their radar.
The problem for Liverpool is brutal: Chiesa’s market value has collapsed. After two poor campaigns, Inter are only prepared to pay around €10m (£8.5m) for the Euro 2020 winner – roughly half of the £20m figure Liverpool were believed to be seeking earlier in the window.
“Chiesa's market value currently stands at less than €10 million: a tempting opportunity that Marotta could seize,” the same report added.
For Inter, the key is timing. They are waiting to finalise Luis Henrique’s move to Roma, expected to be a loan with an obligation to buy. That deal is being negotiated at around €30m including fixed fee and bonuses. Once Roma sign off, Cristian Chivu is expected to push the button on Chiesa as the replacement.
Liverpool, meanwhile, are staring at a loss.
A costly misstep for Hughes and Slot
Chiesa has been an expensive passenger. Across two seasons, he has drained £150k per week from Liverpool’s wage bill without providing the impact expected of the club’s marquee signing for Arne Slot when the Dutchman took charge in 2024.
What was supposed to be the first building block of a new era now looks like a misjudgment. With his value “less than €10m” and Inter unwilling to go higher, Liverpool are braced to sell below their initial outlay and move on.
In a summer where Liverpool are ready to spend huge sums on Barcola, Mbaye, Minteh and others, the Chiesa saga is the uncomfortable reminder that not every big idea lands. The club will get their reset on the wings – but at the cost of a transfer that has turned into a clear, and very public, misstep.
