Giovanni Leoni is one of the most interesting prospects in Italian football.
The 2006-born defender from Parma, in his first Serie A season, immediately stood out. He has attracted interest from top Italian clubs such as Juventus, Milan, Napoli, and Inter, the latter of which also has the trump card of Cristian Chivu—soon to be officially named as their new coach—to play.
Leoni’s rise, born on December 21, 2006, began at Sampdoria. In January 2024, the Blucerchiati took him on loan with a €1.5 million buy option from Padova and, thanks to Andrea Pirlo’s intuition, threw him right into the mix. Twelve games in one half-season, nine of them as a starter, including a goal against Palermo and 766 minutes played. Six months were enough to catch the attention of Inter and Napoli above all. In the end, however, Parma came out on top by making the best offer: €4,852,667 plus bonuses, as relayed via Calcio Mercato.
His first year in Serie A was a positive one. After many appearances on the bench and just seven matches in the first 25 rounds, the real breakthrough came with Cristian Chivu. Out of thirteen games under the future Inter coach, he played in ten, starting nine of them. At just eighteen years old, he was one of the key players in Parma’s successful bid to stay up, thanks also to Chivu’s trust—a potential card Inter can play in negotiations.
Chivu’s presence on the bench could be an incentive for 18-year-old Italian centre-back Leoni himself, who would be reunited with a coach who has shown strong belief in his abilities. The player is currently valued between €15 and €20 million, but Inter could have brought him to Milan a year earlier. Agent Edoardo Crnjar held talks at Inter’s headquarters last summer, but the club’s offer failed to convince Sampdoria. The gap was too large between their demand (around €5–6 million) and Inter’s bid of about €3 million plus Alessandro Fontanarosa, who didn’t convince Pietro Accardi. Now, a year later, the price has tripled, but Inter are still targeting him despite the competition.
Leoni also linked with a Milan move...
Parma would like to keep Leoni for at least another year and hasn’t received any concrete offers yet, but an auction could break out around the 2006-born gem. His performances have impressed Milan, with Massimiliano Allegri reportedly very impressed by his qualities, according to calciomercato.com. Igli Tare is working on multiple fronts, including Leoni’s. The goal is to get ahead of Juventus, Napoli, and Inter, although the Gialloblù are in no rush to sell one of their most prized assets, whose contract runs until the summer of 2029.
