Liverpool signed Federico Chiesa from Juventus for a bargain £12.5million over the summer, but recent reports have linked him with a shock return to Italy – while we can reveal the top three potential replacements for the Reds, Mo Salah.

The 27-year-old winger has only played 18 minutes of Premier League football so far this season due to injuries, with Arne Slot citing his pre-season absence as the reason for his problems.

Reports from Italy on Thursday suggested that Liverpool could loan Chiesa to Serie A for second half of season to get a few well-deserved minutes.

Inter Milan and Roma are reportedly interested in securing his services, but we understand these claims are far from the truth.

Sources have revealed to TEAMtalk that Chiesa is not expected to leave Liverpool on loan in January. Over the summer, Roma and Inter Milan were interested in signing him but couldn’t come close to meeting his salary demands and that hasn’t changed.

This is why a return to Italy, in the current state of affairs, is described as “unlikely” by the sources. They add that Chiesa is fully focused on succeeding at Anfield once he is back fully fit.

Liverpool are considering signing a new winger who could replace Salah, who is out of contract at the end of the season. But Chiesa wants to prove to Slot that he can be the man to fill the void and have a consistent starting spot next season.

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Liverpool eye three classy wingers for next summer

Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes has already started scouring the market for potential replacements for Salah, as Chiesa was never meant to be the one to replace the Egypt international in the long term.

Salah, 32, is set to leave Liverpool on a free transfer next summer once his contract expires, with Saudi Pro League clubs pushing to bring him in.

He is eligible to sign a pre-contract deal overseas from January 1 – just 68 days from now – so his exit could be sealed very soon.

As previously revealed, TEAMtalk understands that Takefusa Kubo of Real Sociedad, Karim Adeyemi of Borussia Dortmund and Leroy Sane of Bayern Munich are top of Hughes’ shortlist of Salah replacements.

However, Liverpool are not planning to spend money on a new winger in January and are only planning to sign one next summer.

For now, Slot will rely on Salah and Chiesa as his main right winger options, with the former still one of the first names on the team sheet.

Chiesa hopes to break into the starting XI and prove to Slot that he does not need to bring in a new winger for next season. He was at one point considered one of the best players in Europe, but an ACL injury sustained in January 2022 significantly hampered his progress.

Latest Liverpool transfer: Trent to Madrid/Arne Slot considering reunion

Meanwhile, Liverpool are determined to keep hold of Trent Alexander-Arnold, but that is proving more difficult than expected amid interest from Real Madrid.

Real Madrid “believe they have made significant progress” in their quest to sign the attacking right-back. Liverpool have sent Alexander-Arnold a “big” new contract offer, but there is now “almost no chance” of him staying at Anfield by agreeing to new terms, according to reports.

TEAMtalk previously reported that Liverpool were “confident” about being able to keep Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk in particular, with Mo Salah’s future less certain.

Sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that the Reds have agreed a bumper new deal for Alexander-Arnold. However, as time passes and the date of January 1st draws closer, Liverpool’s negotiating position weakens and Alexander-Arnold’s strengthens.

It recently emerged that Madrid are prepared to pay him £75 million over five years, which equates to around £288,000 a week.

Elsewhere, Liverpool continue to be linked with a host of midfielders and one of those reportedly on their shortlist is Benfica star Orkun Kokcu, who previously worked under Slot at Feyenoord.

Reports suggest €50m (£41.7m/$54m) would be enough to sign him, making him cheaper than Martin Zubimendi, who Liverpool attempted to sign over the summer.

Kokcu’s father hinted in recent interview that it was ‘possible’ Kokcu would move to Liverpoolso it will be interesting to see how this story develops.

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FILE: Federico Chiesa before and after his ACL injury