Liverpool reach new Federico Chiesa agreement as Arne Slot handed fresh injury concern for Man City

Liverpool attacker Federico Chiesa has been declared unfit to represent Italy in their upcoming international fixtures, and a return to Merseyside has been agreed, the country's national football association has announced.

The former Juventus man came off the bench for the final 13 minutes of Saturday's 2-1 Premier League defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion, a contest that his superior Mohamed Salah was absent for.

Chiesa was snubbed from the starting lineup at the Amex Stadium in spite of Salah's omission, as Arne Slot sided with Dominik Szoboszlai, Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo and Hugo Ekitike to form the attacking quartet.

Chiesa's late cameo was business as usual for the Italy international in the Premier League, where the winger remains a peripheral figure under Slot and has started just one game all season.

Nevertheless, with three goals and three assists from 32 matches across all competitions, Chiesa earned a call-up to Gennaro Gattuso's squad for Italy's crucial World Cup playoff this month.

Liverpool's Federico Chiesa pulls out of Italy squad

The Azzurri will take on Northern Ireland on Thursday in their playoff semi-final, for the right to meet either Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina with a coveted World Cup spot on the line.

However, Chiesa will not be a part of Italy's ranks for the defining fixture, as the Italian Football Federation announced on Monday that he was not in the right physical condition to compete following an 'agreement' with Liverpool.

"Federico Chiesa, whose condition was assessed upon arrival at the Federal Technical Center, was deemed unavailable for the next two matches and, in agreement with the club, left the national team's training camp," Italy said.

The nature of Chiesa's condition is unclear, but the attacker can also be considered an early doubt for the FA Cup quarter-final showdown with Manchester City on April 4 following the international break.

Liverpool also saw Alisson Becker pull out of the Brazil squad with his latest injury, which the goalkeeper confirmed would rule him out for "a while", and there are also concerns over France's Hugo Ekitike after his tearful withdrawal at Brighton.

Wataru Endo, Alexander Isak, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni are also on the sidelines for Liverpool, although Isak may be given the green light to return shortly after the international break.

Will Federico Chiesa leave Liverpool this summer?

Seemingly the steal of the 2024 summer transfer window, Liverpool ultimately got what they paid for with Chiesa, whose £10.3m signing has not been the bargain it was made out to be.

Nearly two years into his spell, the winger has managed a paltry five goals and five assists in 46 appearances, and he will enter the last two years of his contract by the time the summer rolls around.

Chiesa chose to remain at Anfield last summer despite talk of a return to Italy, but it has now been suggested that the attacker is 'almost certain' to leave in 2026 after two trying seasons.