No Heinze, Liverpool turn to Italian U-21 (video)

After Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson made it clear that he was not going to deal Argentine international Gabriel Henize to rivals Liverpool, Tuttosport reports that the club is turning to Italian U-21 captain and Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini.

Liverpool’s bid was 5m pounds for the talented left-sided defender who, for such a young age has been capped six times in the Italian senior side, debuting against Finland. No mean feat, considering the pedigree.

Liverpool have been chasing the youngster for quite a while now. Juventus had talks with Liverpool during the season for a loan deal but that has evolved into an offer for a permanent stay, as the arrival of fullback Domenico Criscito from Genoa has changed the possibilities.

Chiellini was a standout during the recent European Under-21 championships, being named to the team of the tournament. Juventus have rated the defender at 7m; he recently extended his current deal from 2009 to 2011. This kid is a top class defender and would be an excellent signing. On the other hand, with few exceptions, it doesn’t seem like Italian players stay in England long term. To invest in Chiellini as a long term solution could prove fruitless.

Here is a video of some of his attributes: