The 18-year-old sensation joined the Reds in a £26M plus add-ons transfer from Parma last month in a move that was one of several for The Reds as manager Arne Slot overhauled his Premier League title winning side.
However, Liverpool were not the only ones to table an offer, with Newcastle having also made a move for Leoni which according to Cherubini was a higher offer.
“We even turned down an offer from Newcastle, which was more advantageous than the one Liverpool eventually made.
“When the Reds came forward, our plans changed: both because the offer was very attractive and because Giovanni made it clear he was very happy to take advantage of this opportunity.
“On the one hand, it’s obviously disappointing to have lost such a promising player, but on the other, there’s pride in a club like ours and recognition for those who believed in this boy in unsuspecting times, when he’d only played a few games in Serie B.”
Newcastle had to move from one target to the next this summer as they chased down several strikers, who all rejected the club. Leoni is just another name on a long list of players who didn’t want to join manager Eddie Howe despite the side having Champions League football.
Leoni’s only match day selection so far has been as an unused substitute in the 3–2 win over Newcastle but the teenager is being slowly integrated into the side by Slot who may use him after the international break.