Newcastle snubbed again! Parma chief reveals Magpies' 'high' Giovanni Leoni offer was rebuffed before £30m Liverpool transfer

Newcastle missed out on several of their summer transfers and had even had to sell their star striker, Alexander Isak, to Liverpool on deadline day. The Magpies eyed moves for high-profile stars like Hugo Ekitike and Benjamin Sesko, but the two strikers eventually ended up at Liverpool and Manchester United, respectively. 

Now, Parma chief Cherubini has claimed that Magpies had also eyed a move for Leoni in the summer and had even submitted a massive bid for the defender, higher than the price that the Italian side had eventually got from the sale of the player to Liverpool. 

Speaking to Gazzetta di Parma (via Fabrizio Romano), the Parma official said: "We rejected a higher offer from Newcastle for Leoni. But plans have changed with Liverpool. This is because the offer was very attractive and because Giovanni made it clear he was very happy to join Liverpool."

The Reds have kicked off their title defence campaign on a high, as they maintained a hundred per cent win record in their first three Premier League matches. They will be back in action on September 14 as they play Burnley away from home.