Liverpool’s new signing Federico Chiesa was also an option for Bayern Munich earlier in the summer, according to transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano.
The Italy international looks an exciting addition to Arne Slot’s Reds squad for this season, but it seems although Bayern also appreciated the player, they ultimately decided to prioritise a different kind of winger signing in the form of Michael Olise, who ended up joining from Crystal Palace.
Romano discussed this saga as he spoke exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest Daily Briefing column, revealing this other big opportunity for Chiesa this summer before he ended up sealing his late move to Anfield instead.
Responding to reports of Chiesa being rejected by Bayern, Romano said: “Yes, Bayern were offered this possibility in June but their top target was always a different kind of player like Olise – a different player with different skills.
“They appreciated Chiesa but they were not looking for that kind of player.”
Chiesa transfer: Will he be a success for Liverpool?
Some LFC fans might be concerned that they ended up signing a player for so cheap, who was seemingly not a priority for other big names in Europe.
There’s no doubt Chiesa showed some real quality during his time at Juventus, but one imagines his fitness record might have been a concern for potential suitors.
In the end, Liverpool might have taken a bit of a gamble on the 26-year-old, but it could be one that they decided was worth it in the end, as it was a low-cost deal for someone who will perhaps add squad depth rather than start games week in, week out anyway.
Slot already has Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota as wide-forward options, so Chiesa has a lot of competition to get into the starting XI, and it will be interesting to see if he manages to do it.
