Liverpool beat Newcastle United to young defender’s signature in one final summer transfer window blow

Liverpool beat Newcastle United in more ways than one when it came to the summer transfer window.

The Magpies saw star striker Alexander Isak force through an Anfield move, as well as Hugo Ekitike’s high-profile St James’ Park snub to link up with Arne Slot’s side.

But as the age-old saying goes, bad luck often comes in three’s and details of yet another player who moved to Anfield this summer can now be revealed in full.

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Newcastle snubbed for a THIRD time this summer by Liverpool’s new signing

Hugo Ekitike opted for Anfield over St. James’ Park earlier this summer (Image credit: Getty Images)

Despite having UEFA Champions League football to offer, Newcastle’s transfer window got off to a difficult start.

Eventually signing two new forwards in the shape of Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade, the Magpies’ wealthy owners, PIF, lost out to Liverpool for a third time in the space of a single summer, with Fabrizio Romano revealing the latest details.

Giovanni Leoni at his unveiling as a Liverpool player after his move from Parma (Image credit: Getty Images)

Giovanni Leoni, who joined Liverpool from Parma in a deal worth £26m, actually turned down an offer from Newcastle, as revealed in a recent interview by the Italian club’s CEO, Federico Cherubini.

“We rejected a higher offer from Newcastle for Leoni. But plans have changed with Liverpool,” he began.

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“This [is] because the offer was very attractive and because Giovanni made it clear he was very happy to join Liverpool,” he told Gazzetta di Parma.

“On the one hand, it’s obviously disappointing to have lost such a promising player, but on the other, there’s pride in a club like ours and recognition for those who believed in this boy in unsuspecting times, when he’d only played a few games in Serie B.”

Liverpool defender Giovanni Leoni is yet to make his debut (Image credit: Getty Images)

In FourFourTwo‘s view, it is often too hard to refuse the ‘knock’ Liverpool brings, especially given their recent Premier League-winning exploits.

Whether Leoni can break through this season remains to be seen, with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konate providing healthy competition.