Liverpool's Attack Overhaul: Chiesa Faces Exit as Inter Milan Shows Interest
Liverpool’s overhaul of their attack for 2026/27 is only just getting started, but one thing already feels certain: there will be casualties.
Victor Munoz is through the door, signed from Osasuna for £34 million after Richard Hughes activated the Spain World Cup winner’s release clause. He is the first major piece of a frontline refresh that has taken on extra urgency since Mohamed Salah walked away on a free to Trabzonspor.
And Liverpool are not stopping at one.
Liverpool chase elite wide men
The club’s recruitment drive is locked on one-v-one specialists out wide. That was the brief before Salah left. Now it’s become a necessity.
Bradley Barcola sits at the top of the list. Paris Saint-Germain have made their stance clear: they want around £145m before even thinking about letting the France winger go. It is a huge number, but Liverpool’s interest is serious.
From the same dressing room, Ibrahim Mbaye has also emerged as a target. The 18-year-old is far less established but highly regarded, and PSG are seeking about £60m for him.
The net is wider still. Bids have gone in for Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh, with early indications suggesting a deal is there to be done if Liverpool meet the £70m valuation. If that fee is hit, another explosive wide option would arrive at Anfield.
Those moves, though, come with a consequence for the players already in the building.
Gakpo money, Chiesa problem
Cody Gakpo has been heavily linked with a big-money switch to Tottenham Hotspur. That deal could bring in around £72m, a sizeable injection into the transfer budget and a sign of how ruthless this reset might become.
But it is Federico Chiesa who now finds himself at the sharpest end of Liverpool’s rethink.
The Italy international arrived in 2024 with a reputation forged at Juventus and sealed at Euro 2020. He has never truly settled in the Premier League. Two seasons on, he is on £150,000 per week and nowhere near the influence Liverpool expected when he signed.
The club would clearly prefer to redirect that salary towards one of the new wide targets. The problem is that Chiesa’s market value has collapsed.
Inter ready to pounce on cut-price Chiesa
Inter Milan have stepped forward in recent days, sensing opportunity. Chiesa joined Liverpool for a fee that could rise to £12.5m, but the Italian side are aiming far lower.
Sportal reports: “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.”
Inter’s move is tied to their own domino. Once Luis Henrique’s transfer to Roma is finalised – expected to be a loan with an obligation to buy – Cristian Chivu is ready to push the button on Chiesa as the replacement.
The numbers tell the story of Liverpool’s misstep. Inter are only prepared to pay around €10m (£8.5m) for the Euro 2020 winner. Earlier in the window, Liverpool were understood to be seeking close to £20m.
That gap has not closed in Liverpool’s favour.
Sportal adds: “Chiesa's market value currently stands at less than €10 million: a tempting opportunity that Marotta could seize. The deal with Roma for Luis Henrique is therefore the key to the entire scenario: the Giallorossi are negotiating with Inter on a loan with an obligation to buy, for a total fee of around €30 million including fixed fee and bonuses.”
A costly misstep for Hughes and Slot
For Richard Hughes, this is turning into an ugly chapter. Chiesa has taken £150,000 a week from Liverpool across two largely unproductive seasons and now looks set to leave at a loss.
That stings even more when you remember the context. He was the only addition to Arne Slot’s squad when the Dutchman arrived in 2024. One big attacking bet. One that never paid off.
Now Liverpool are trying to reshape their wide options again, this time with bigger fees, younger profiles and higher stakes. If Chiesa walks out for less than they paid, after two flat years and a heavy wage bill, the question will hang over this rebuild:
Can Liverpool afford another mistake like that with the next wave of wingers?
