Federico Chiesa has been omitted from Liverpool’s 29-player pre-season tour squad of Japan and Hong Kong.
Liverpool’s position is that the Italy international has a minor fitness issue that would be better assessed on Merseyside. The Athletic reported in the DealSheet on June 24 that Chiesa had attracted interest from Serie A clubs.
The 27-year-old played and scored for Arne Slot’s side in Sunday’s five-goal friendly win over Stoke City after playing a bit-part role in his debut season at Anfield, where he featured in just six Premier League matches.
The former Fiorentina forward has previously said he “wouldn’t mind” staying at Anfield for 2025-26 and understood why he was given limited minutes for his debut season at the club.
Chiesa’s only league start came in Liverpool’s penultimate game of 2024-25, the 3-2 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion, where he played 63 minutes.
Chiesa joined Liverpool last summer from Juventus for an initial fee of £10million ($13.1m), potentially rising to £12.5m. He suffered fitness issues last season having previously returned from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in his left knee when at Juve.
Slot’s squad fly off on their pre-season of Asia on Sunday evening, their first stop is Hong Kong where they will face AC Milan next Saturday at the new 50,000-capacity Kai Tak Stadium.
Liverpool will then head for Tokyo as the club visit Japan for the first time since the 2005 Club World Championship final when Rafael Benitez’s side lost 1-0 against Sao Paolo.
Local team Yokohama F Marinos, who are bottom of the 20-team J1 League, will provide the opposition at the 72,000-capacity Nissan Stadium on July 30.
Liverpool’s pre-season tour squad: Alisson, Gomez, Endo, Van Dijk, Konate, Diaz, Szoboszlai, Nunez, Mac Allister, Salah, Jones, Gakpo, Elliott, Tsimikas, Robertson, Gravenberch, Doak, Woodman, Mamardashvili, Kerkez, Wirtz, Frimpong, Pecsi, Ngumoha, Misciur, Morton, Bradley, Stephenson, Nyoni.
(Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images)
