There has been plenty of speculation surrounding Federico Chiesa of late, considering he has made just four appearances for Liverpool since joining the club from Juventus last summer.

The Italian was viewed as an opportunistic addition to Arne Slot's squad when the Reds signed him for a fraction of the fee he would have commanded after catapulting his country to European Championship glory in 2021.

However, the deal simply hasn't worked out so far, with the 27-year-old having appeared just once since September — as a substitute in the Carabao Cup quarter-final win over Southampton in December.

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Slot was not overly impressed with that cameo, but admitted that the up-and-down nature of Chiesa's performance on the South Coast was something that was to be expected after a significant spell out of the team.

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On Friday, Chiesa shared a series of pictures of him playing for Liverpool on Instagram, and accompanied the post with a love-heart emoji but no words.

Liverpool fans flooded the replies with supportive messages for the winger, with one writing, "your time is coming Fede, we’ll be waiting as well. See you soon," and another saying, "He is denying all the rumours! Don't f--- with trash rumors, lads!"

A report that was published by TBR Football earlier this week said that Chiesa's entourage had approached Liverpool to discuss a possible return to Italy during the January transfer window.

The Italy international reportedly recognizes that the players ahead of him in the Liverpool team are effectively unmovable on current form, but that is little consolation to a player who looked to have the world at his feet just a few years ago.

Anfield Watch reported earlier this week that Slot has not been impressed by Chiesa's application — or lack thereof — since moving to Liverpool.