Giovanni Leoni award nod shows Liverpool got £26m bargain

Giovanni Leoni has been named on the 25-man shortlist for this year’s Golden Boy award, with Liverpool’s £26 million deal to sign him regarded as a relative bargain.

Liverpool beat the likes of Man United, Inter Milan and Newcastle to sign Leoni in mid-August, with suggestions of a loan back to Parma quickly dismissed.

The 18-year-old was immediately considered part of Arne Slot‘s first-team squad and may have even been challenging for a starting spot at this stage had he not suffered a season-ending ACL injury.

Leoni is currently in early recovery after undergoing surgery at the start of the month, but was boosted by news of an award nod on Wednesday.

Tuttosport announced the centre-back as a wild-card pick among their 25 nominees for the 2025 Golden Boy award.

The award is widely acknowledged and recognises the best player aged 21 or under across Europe, with Barcelona‘s Lamine Yamal the current holder and now exempt as it cannot be won more than once.

Leoni signed for less than half Yoro’s fee

Paris Saint-Germain’s Desire Doue is considered the favourite but Leoni’s inclusion, as one of only two Italians and one of five hand-picked by judges, is still significant.

It highlights the value Liverpool were able to obtain with a £26 million deal, with the Premier League champions fending off Serie A interest to sign one of the best young players in Europe for a comparatively low fee.

Man United‘s Leny Yoro, 19, Chelsea‘s Jorrel Hato, 19, and Real Madrid‘s Dean Huijsen, 20, are also nominated but recently joined their clubs for fees of £58.9 million, £37 million and £50 million respectively.

The 2025 Golden Boy will be announced in December and is determined by votes from 50 top journalists across the continent.