Federico Chiesa Liverpool to Napoli transfer 'stance revealed' after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia deal

Federico Chiesa has been linked with a move away from Liverpool

Federico Chiesa has reportedly decided whether or not he wants to stay at Liverpool. The 27-year-old forward has been heavily linked with an exit from Anfield this month after struggling to force himself into Arne Slot's side.

The Reds signed Chiesa from Juventus at the end of August, meaning he missed out on invaluable time with his new teammates – on and off the pitch - during the summer. Arriving late in Merseyside, the Italy international was playing catch-up, and he spent the first two weeks of the new Premier League season working to improve his match fitness.

Chiesa finally made his debut for Liverpool in September, coming off the bench in a 3-0 win over Bournemouth. Having made a good impression, the Italian was handed his first start a few days later, featuring in a 5-1 win over West Ham.

He was then dropped to the bench for the Reds' following Premier League clash against Wolves. Chiesa then suffered a muscle injury, keeping him out of action until December. Since returning from the treatment room over the festive period, he's been unable to force himself into the starting lineup.

All in all, Chiesa has featured just six times for Liverpool this season, playing 171 minutes. And the forward has been linked with a return to Italy as Napoli look to replace Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who has just joined Paris Saint-Germain.

However, according to Valter De Maggio, Chiesa has decided he wants to stay at Anfield. Speaking on Radio Kiss Kiss Napoli, as quoted by Italian outlet Vesuvio Live, the journalist said: "Federico Chiesa’s name can be crossed off the list of possible replacements for Kvaratskhelia.

"From a direct source, Chiesa is very happy in Liverpool, he is happy, he will not move. Liverpool also will not sell him, neither permanently nor on loan. Therefore Chiesa will not be Kvaratskhelia’s heir. [Alejandro] Garnacho is the first choice overall, Manna is working on it."

Back in October, Slot was quizzed on Chiesa's future at Liverpool. Speaking to reporters, the Reds boss said: "It hasn't gone through my mind at all. First and foremost is that he gets fit again and then we can see where he is.

"He missed pre-season [with Liverpool] and in pre-season [with Juventus] he was on low-intensity sessions as he had to train with three or four players separate from the group. Going from then to a high-intensity league, to a high-intensity playing style is difficult in general for every player, but especially if you had a pre-season like this."

Then, in December, Slot explained why it's been so difficult for him to reintegrate Chiesa. He said: "What's difficult is we play so many games, and what he needs is playing time.

"The problem is if you haven't played for five or six months, it's difficult for a manager to give him his first minutes because you don't know what to expect. Yes, you see him on the training ground, but ideally, you'll see him in a friendly during the week or a U21 game.

"But that's not the situation we have because we play so many games. Maybe the Southampton game will be a good moment for him to get some playing minutes, then we'll know what to expect from him."

Slot added: "We see his quality, we know his quality, but he needs to get his fitness level, and if you only have training that's not the same as playing time. You need playing time to reach those fitness levels.

"If you're competing for the league, competing in the Champions League, it's not always easy to find these minutes. Maybe if you're four or 5-0 up, but for the whole season, that's only been once, I think. The rest has been a struggle or a fight for every game."