Federico Chiesa and 10 others not on Liverpool’s pre-season tour

July 21, 2025
Joanna Durkan

Federico Chiesa was a notable exclusion from Liverpool’s 29-man squad that have travelled to Hong Kong and Japan, with 10 other players missing out.

Liverpool are on their way to Asia for the second time in three years for a two-stop tour of Hong Kong and Japan, with games against AC Milan and Yokohama FM.

A 29-man squad was announced on Sunday evening, and there were notable exclusions from the list, including Chiesa and Jayden Danns.

The Italian was left out with what reporters described as a “minor issue,” with transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano underlining that he’s “expected to leave this summer.”

His exclusion hints that an exit could be imminent as he played and scored in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Stoke on Sunday. Luis Diaz, however, has travelled.

This Is Anfield understands Danns’ exclusion was as a precaution, which is a disappointing development for the 19-year-old, but he will instead focus on building his fitness at AXA. He did not feature in Sunday’s friendly.

Youngsters Kieran Morrison, Tommy Pilling, Lewis Koumas and Amara Nallo were all in the squad that faced Preston in the first pre-season game, but they have been omitted from the trip.

James McConnell and Stefan Bajcetic would have hoped to catch the eye of Arne Slot, however, the pair are still recovering from injuries suffered at the end of last season.

Other notable names absent include defenders Owen Beck, Calvin Ramsay and Rhys Williams, all of whom featured for the under-21s on Saturday – loans or permanent moves are in their future instead of a trip to Asia with the first team.

Although there are not as many youngsters involved as there was last summer, due to the delayed return of senior players, there are several supporters can keep an eye on.

Young goalkeepers Armin Pecsi and Kornel Misciur have made the trip, as has Luca Stephenson, Trey Nyoni, Rio Ngumoha and Ben Doak, who is expected to make a permanent move this summer.

Liverpool have two fixtures to play on their tour. First up, they face AC Milan in Hong Kong on Saturday, before heading to Japan to play against Yokohama FM on July 30.

Hugo Ekitike will be expected to join up with the squad if his transfer is completed in a timely fashion this week.