Liverpool supporters will be hoping to see more of Federico Chiesa in 2025. The £12.5m summer signing has proven quite the enigma as one week he seems to be back in the squad and the next he is left at home.

That can be attributed to a strange summer prior to signing at Anfield from Juventus. The 27-year-old first played at Euro 2024, straight off the back of the 2023/24 campaign in which he was still recovering from his most recent ACL problem.

Afterwards a short holiday led into his Liverpool switch which naturally garnered plenty of excitement. Left out of two recent away matches against Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham but named on the bench for Leicester City's Boxing Day visit, question marks still loom overhead.

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So, with a recent family update provided, Arne Slot talking to the media, new friendships struck in Liverpool and increasing transfer rumours, the ECHO rounds up the latest news surrounding Chiesa.

Family update

In the summer, Italian national Federico Chiesa completed his £12.5m transfer to Liverpool, leaving his home country for the first time as part of his club career. Prior to that he had only played for Fiorentina and Juventus.

In July he was married to long-term girlfriend and model Lucia Bramani, who completed the move to Merseyside with her husband. She has since been seen at Anfield watching matches or with partners of other Reds stars.

Happily celebrating their first festive season together in the United Kingdom, a joint Instagram post showed the couple and their dogs in front of a Christmas tree.

Arne Slot explains West Ham absence

Left out of the Liverpool squad for the second away Premier League fixture running at West Ham on Sunday, head coach Arne Slot provided an answer as to why that was the case.

"I’ve said it many times already. We are working on two things. We are working about on his match fitness and whenever we can we try to bring him with the team.

"But he was on the bench during the week and we thought it was better for him to have some extra training sessions instead of joining us. So it's the constant balance we have to find between getting him fitter and fitter and letting him join the team."

So, reaching the New Year, the Reds' sole summer signing has made just four senior appearances, only one of those as part of the starting line-up. Two have come in the Carabao Cup, then one each in the Premier League and Champions League.

Prior to recent squad inclusions he also built up his fitness with an appearance for Liverpool's Under-21s.

Mohamed Salah friendship

A leader within the squad, Mohamed Salah is just one of Liverpool's squad to have welcomed fellow attacker Chiesa in with open arms this summer.

Footage published by the club earlier this month proved their close relationship as Salah could be heard at the AXA Training Centre's coffee bar asking if the two players' dinner plans were still on.

The Egyptian went as far as to offer a home-cooked meal for his new teammate.

Transfer speculation building

And lastly, despite messages of content from the player himself, his coaches and teammates, foreign media cannot keep quiet about a possible Liverpool exit just one window after Chiesa joined the club.

A report by France's Foot Mercato has most recently listed numerous clubs reportedly interested in sealing a deal this winter. Those named are 'frontrunners' Napoli, AC Milan and Barcelona.

2024 Europa League winners Atalanta have also been named as another club supposedly offering a route back home.

But to answer these suggestions, the ECHO have reported that Slot and his coaching staff view Chiesa as a long-term investment and is not frustrated with current inconsistency.