Liverpool complete signing of teenage defender Giovanni Leoni from Parma

The Italian becomes the club's ninth new arrival of the summer transfer window, following Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, Armin Pecsi, Freddie Woodman and Will Wright.

"I'm very happy to be here," said Leoni, in his first interview with Liverpool's official website. "It's a really great sensation and I'm honoured to be here."

Head coach Arne Slot had earmarked centre-back as a priority position to reinforce after the departures of Nat Phillips to West Bromwich Albion and Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen left Liverpool with just three senior options.

Last season, captain Virgil van Dijk featured in 37 of 38 league matches, Ibrahima Konate played 31 times, while Joe Gomez was largely a rotational option, appearing in nine.

Leoni, who stands at 6ft 5in, adds much-needed depth and is viewed as a long-term investment. He will be developed alongside Van Dijk, now 33, and Konate, with the club confident of his potential to grow into a first-team regular.

Despite his age, Leoni already boasts significant senior experience, making 52 first-team appearances across spells with Padova, Sampdoria and Parma.

In his debut Serie A season, he played 17 matches as Parma finished 16th, narrowly avoiding relegation. Internationally, he has represented Italy at youth level, earning one cap for the U18s and seven for the U19s.