Liverpool get their man! Reds confirm £11m signing of Juventus star Federico Chiesa after beating Barcelona to bargain transfer

Despite having been one of the most renowned stars of a dwindling Juventus side, Chiesa was swept out of the Bianconeri's main squad following the arrival of Thiago Motta, who replaced Maximiliano Allegri as head coach at Allianz Stadium. The former Bologna manager was clear from the outset that Chiesa had no place in his future plans for the Serie A side and that the winger should look for a new suitor.

As such, Chiesa had been heavily linked with a cut-price move to Barcelona over the last couple of weeks. However, Liverpool have come swooping in to sign the 26-year-old for a reported price of just £11 million ($14m), beating Barcelona to the signing as the Catalan side failed to sort out their financial mess in time.

Following the announcement of his signing, Chiesa spoke to club media and said: "I'm so happy to be a Liverpool player. When Richard Hughes called me and he said, 'Do you want to join Liverpool?' – and the coach called me – I said yes immediately because I know the history of this club, I know what it represents to the fans.

"So, I'm so happy and I can't wait to get started."

With the Italian not having spent a lot of time in team training with Juventus, it is highly unlikely that he will be involved during Liverpool's next Premier League clash against bitter rivals, Manchester United on Sunday, September 1.