Liverpool to Battle Manchester Utd for Fiorentina Winger

Despite genetic and environmental factors suggesting that it should, it’s not often the talents of professional footballers transcend the generational gap. There will occasionally be a Paolo Maldini or a Frank Lampard Jr or a Youri Djorkaeff, but generally speaking, sons rarely live up to the careers of prolific footballing fathers.

We’re living in a bit of a peculiar time, then, because the international football scene is seemingly overflowing with the talented offspring of historic footballers breaking through the ranks. Justin Kluivert is moving to Roma for an upsetting €18m, Timothy Weah made his debut for PSG this season, while Giovanni Simeone has already established himself as a Serie A starter for Fiorentina.

Elsewhere in Florence, we find Federico Chiesa, son of Parma, Fiorentina and Siena striker Enrico, who started 36 of the Viola’s league games last year. Having accumulated ten goals and seven assists in the Serie A before his 21st birthday, the Italian winger has begun to draw interest from Europe’s big clubs, and at least two of those are located in England.

Liverpool will reportedly have to duke it out with archrivals Manchester United for the 20-year old’s signature, while Napoli and Inter are also hovering, although the rumoured €70m price tag would likely count out the latter two.

It should also rule out a move to Liverpool, frankly, as, despite his considerable talents and likely perfect fit as a Sadio Mané understudy, Chiesa would be exactly that; an understudy. Splurging their remaining budget on a substitute, no matter how promising, when there are other gaps to fill in the squad would constitute a gross miscalculation on the club’s part, and either Fiorentina’s demands will be negotiated down, or Chiesa is likely to stay at the Artemio Franchi for at least another year.