Juventus are the latest team to take an interest in Mattia Liberali, and AC Milan have been alerted by the news.
Liberali had a dominant second half of the season, nearly securing a historic promotion to Serie A with Catanzaro. This summer, the playmaker could become one of the young players to watch closely, with top flight clubs having taken note of his exploits.
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Juventus in for Liberali
According to Il Bianconero (via Calciomercato.com), Parma and Sassuolo repeatedly scouted the development of Liberali, but a new suitor has entered the frame. Juventus have also joined the list of the teams potentially in the running to land the playmaker from Brianza.
The Bianconeri are currently focusing on finding three or four more promising players to meet coach Luciano Spalletti’s demands – an experienced goalkeeper, two forwards, and a top-notch attacking midfielder – but are also keeping an eye on the potential opportunities the transfer market offers.
After making a name for himself in Milan’s youth academy and triumphing with the Italian U17 national team at the 2024 European Championship, Liberali made his professional debut last season, making 10 appearances and scoring one goal in Serie C with Milan Futuro.
He also made his Serie A debut on December 15, 2024, in the match between Milan and Genoa. At the end of that season, he parted ways with the Rossoneri, with whom he failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension.
He joined Catanzaro on a free transfer on a deal until 2029. Milan, however, managed to get a 50% resale clause inserted. As a result, they can effectively buy him back at half price, or they will get half of the fee he goes for.
In the coming weeks, Liberali will compete in the finals of the U19 European Championship (June 28 to July 11) in Wales. It is another chance to show he is ready for the leap back to a top club.
That one game he played at number 10 for the first team, he did nothing special, but as a teenager on his debut, he looked far more convincing than anyone else we’d shoe-horned into that role already.
Travesty he left. I’d love to think we’d rival any bid but I’m almost certain we’ll just take the free money.
we are just taking the money…. its the rebidrd is in for the financial scudeto not the football one
Considering that we already bought Alphadjo Cissè whom Liberali replaced when he got injured I also find it rather unlikely that we will bring him back.
Very much looking forward to Cisse and I’m certain Glasner will keep him at the club and he may even be starting before too long.
In a very likely 3-4-2-1 with 2 games a week (playing with intensity), there would be room for Liberali as the project, alongside Cisse, Pulisic, Nkunku (whom I predict will have proved he’s not good enough by Christmas), and Leao/Leao’s replacement.
Moot point however because he’s not coming back.
I really doesnt have much knowledge of the player except hearing he was a talented fella and was coveted but other clubs as well.
Maybe but even if we came calling would Liberali return at this point. Either way hope Nkunku gets sold as one of our first players.
Probably not.
If it was Rangnick and Glasner calling, them I am sure Liberali would consider rejoinikg Milan. He would know that Milan is then a club who plays their youth and trusts them
Lets see what happens but we can hope that he might sway him to return but I wouldn’t really bet my money on it.
Pulišić, Nkunku, Cisse, Liberali. Nice quartet to rotate for 2 behind a striker (Mateta, Camarda) in 3421. Wishful thinking tho…
Well, we have 3/4 AMs and Mateta is being linked, so not that wishful. It’s possible. As to the 4th AM, Liberali would have been nice to have, but it’s water under the bridge now. I read somewhere that Brahim Diaz was beginning to feel unsettled at Madrid. I think that could be something to explore. Brahim and Pulisic as the starters behind Mateta, with Cisse and Nkunku as depth? That’s not bad. If not Brahim, I would also think about nabbing Zaniolo from Udinese. Comotto needs to be brought up to the first team for central midfield. Starters will be Rabiot and one of Fofana/Jashari/Ricci, then the bench will be two of those that don’t start plus Comotto.
We must take this kid back, we pay just half of the price.
Please stop with the ‘half price’ nonsense, it’s not how it works in reality.
And anyway, why would he come back? He was desperate to leave.
Are people misunderstanding the article? Liberali is not coming back. It’s just that Milan will earn some money with a clause in the contract when he was sold.
By the way, I’ve never been highly impressed with Liberali. He had a couple of good pre-season games and then badly failed with Futuro.
So he “almost” qualified Catanzaro? Well, they did not qualify.
Maybe Liberali’s true level is Serie B.
Sure, he is young; maybe he will succeed. But a series of very bad games for Futuro doesn’t bode well; a player who couldn’t even succeed at that very basic level, is suddenly ready for prime time with one of the main Serie A clubs? Doubtful. Liberali is small and easily bumped by big midfielders and defenders.
I wish him the best but I’m not that sure that he has what it takes to succeed in a club like Juventus. We’ll see.
still he’s better (more usefull) than kind of musah, bondo, rlc, beni & much younger.
Diego, Baggio, Messi, Insigne, Brahim, Okubo isn’t a muscle SS/AMF just like Liberali
I think you are being very optimistic for Liberali by putting him in the same paragraph with Diego Maradona, Baggio, Messi, etc. LOL.
Whether or not Liberali fulfills his potential remains to be seen. Having a somewhat good season with Catanzaro (ultimately they failed to qualify so they are no more than a Serie B club – in the land of the blind, the one-eyed guy is king) is no guarantee that Liberali will ever reach the level of the players you’ve quoted. It’s not impossible as he is young, but as of now, there is no strong indication that this will be the case.
People tend to overestimate young players, without realizing that it is just a VERY TINY minority of young players who grow up to become highly successful footballers in the top teams of the top 5 European leagues.
Much more often, young players either drop out entirely, or stay in lesser leagues (be them secondary national leagues like Serie B, Serie C. or lesser national leagues like in countries that are not the European top five (England, Spain, Italy, Germany, and France).
Juventus is one of the top teams in one of the top 5 European leagues. To succeed at this level, it takes a lot, and after Liberali’s disastrous spell with Milan Futuro (remember, that’s a Serie D squad), I just do not know if he will ever fulfill that perceived potential. Maybe he will. But maybe he won’t.
Not all young players are called Yamal or Estêvão. The ones who succeed are the exception rather than the rule.
One might say, “but all top players in the top teams of the top leagues, were once young.” True, but then, think of how many dozens of thousands of professional footballers exist in the world, and think of what’s the true percentage of those who end up playing successfully for the top teams of the top 5 leagues. It’s a tiny percentage.
So, before I get very excited about ANY young player, I want to see core evidence that he has what it takes.
futuro or Milan senior will be relegated too in hands of kirovski & boneror (should be Abate),
Liberali is young, proven good enough, our very own product, never got chance, instead they bought musah, chuck, bondo, nkunku w/ stupid price tag.
if Baresi/ Maldini/ Rivera is in primavera today, he’ll be judge to thin & not ready too
I disagree on his talent. He is the most promising youngster we have seen in quite some time and not performing in a team that was just created and is in a mess is not a good indicator to judge by. Personally I believe he will make it and become a starter for the national team
THE most promising youngster??? Have you heard of a guy called Lamine Yamal? Have you heard of a guy called Estêvão William? Or even the likes of Francesco Camarda, or Pio Esposito?
Liberali showed *some* talent at one point but he hasn’t really been great, neither for Futuro, nor for Catanzaro. And again, I like the saying “in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.” Doing somewhat well for Catanzaro doesn’t mean doing well for Juventus or for the Italian National Team.
At this time, it’s still unfulfilled potential. Whether or not he will fulfill this potential remains to be seen. I hope for his sake that he fulfills it, but there is no certainty whatsoever that he will.
I see no indication that Liberali is THE MOST promising youngster we have seen in quite some time. I see him as ONE young player to be followed, to see where and how he will end. For me, he showed some talent, but not an enormous talent. Maybe that talent wil blossom more as, again, he is still very young. But maybe it won’t.
People seem to be TOO certain of the talent of young players, not realizing that the majority of young players who at one point appear promising, do NOT fulfill their perceived potential.
The successful ones are the exception, not the rule.
How tall was Maradona or how tall is Messi? Not saying Liberali is the next Maradona or Messi, just speaking to the claim that small stature means dim future. Alex del Piero is 1.74m, that’s 2cm taller than Liberali, and he was one of the best forwards ever in Serie A, at a time when “defenders were defenders”.
Serie B IS probably his level right now. That’s what Milan didn’t understand. Instead they put him and Camarda into a failing project at Futuro, an entire side that wasn’t up to the task in Serie C. But these players, but into a situation where other players around them are capable, but where the football isn’t yet too demanding, will thrive. Camarda should have been in Serie B last season with Liberali instead of Lecce. Liberali should probably stay another season, and Camarda ought to join him, and perhaps Comotto as well.
Again, putting Liberali in the same phrase of Maradona and Messi is completely absurd. You are talking of two players who are in the top five of the entire history of football (together with Pelé and a couple of others, like Cristiano Ronaldo, Franz Beckenbauer, etc.
You are talking about a very young player who looked a bit impressive in a couple of pre-season games with Milan then never more, and who later went to a mid-table team in Serie B where he did somewhat well.
Will he be any good as an adult, fully formed player? It’s possible that he will, but there is no guarantee, and MOST CERTAINLY he has provided no proof that he can be comfortably mentioned in the same sentence with the VERY BEST players in the entire history of the sport.
“Not saying that Liberali is the next Maradona or Messi” – but the simple fact of putting him in the same phrase with these two, is completely absurd.
Luigi, I allow that he isn’t the next anything. Those are just obvious examples. There are plenty of short players who are good enough, and we don’t know how good Liberali will even be. Let me see if I can find some: Lorenzo Insigne was 1.63m and became a thoroughly decent player. Is he too good of a comparison too? Ademola Lookman is 1.74m, is he also too good to compare? How about Brahim Diaz is 1.70m. You wouldn’t want a Brahim Diaz from our academy?
All three, Insigne, Lookman, and Brahim, are far more talented players than Liberali has ever hinted of being. Sure, the comparison is not as bad as putting Liberali in the same phrase of Messi and Maradona, but it’s still comparing proven successful players with a youngster who couldn’t succeed in a Serie D squad and succeeded only partially in a Serie B squad.
The issue is not just being short. You can be short and successful. The issue is, being easily bumped to the ground by more physical players. Height is no guarantee of physicality; let’s just look at how easily RLC falls down although he is very tall.
But my observation was not just that Liberali is short, period, therefore can’t be good. What I said is “he is short and easily bumped down by midfielders and defenders.” So, just focusing on the short part, is taking my words out of context. There are short but very resilient players (like Gattuso). There are also short players who get easily bumped by more physical players, like Liberali.
I’ve watched a number of Futuro games. Most fans didn’t bother watching Futuro. I did. I was thoroughly unimpressed with Liberali as he had a long string of very bad games with Futuro, when he got the ball and bump, down he went.
Still, like I said, he is still very young and may develop more, both in technique, and in physicality.
Take Endrick, the Brazilian teenager. When he started playing for Real Madrid, he was also easily bumped to the ground. It was like child abuse, LOL. Now he has bulked up, looks a lot stronger, and defenders no longer have an easy time intimidating him.
Well, see, Endrick and Liberali are currently both 19 years old. Liberali had a stretch with Catanzaro who failed to qualify for Serie A and stay in Serie B. Meanwhile Endrick had a brilliant passage in League 1’s Lyon, will likely go back to Real Madrid at the end of his loan, and has just scored the winner for the Brazilian national team in their latest preparation World Cup game against Egypt (a very decent team). Endrick at the age of 19, does look like a REAL potential talent and is scoring for the one of the top 6 national teams in the world, and already looks physically like a young bull. Does Liberali? No, and no.
So, will Liberali develop like that? I don’t k now. You don’t know. Nobody knows. That’s my point. Possibly yes, but also possibly, no. And statistically speaking, the “possibly no” tends to become reality much more often than the “possibly yes” as the vast majority of once perceived as promising young players simply don’t make it to the highest levels. It’s the EXCEPTION that players of all kinds and all ages who show potential, end up fulfilling that potential, because it is a TINY minority of the literally dozens of thousands of professional players in the world, who ever make it into the TOP teams of the TOP 5 European Leagues (widely considered to be the best leagues in the world) and have success with those teams.
Let’s do a little math. According to AI, there are about 130,000 male professional footballers in the world.
Let’s look at the top 5 European leagues. The EPL has some top 7 teams. Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United, arguably more recently Aston Villa, Chelsea (lately not so good), Tottenham (historically good but lately quite bad).
Spain’s La Liga has literally only three top teams. Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid.
Italy’s Serie A has about 7. Inter, Napoli, Roma, now Como, Milan, Juve, and arguably some years, Atalanta.
France’s League 1 has literally only one great team: PSG. At times, Marseille, Monaco, Lyon, but very inconsistently; I wouldn’t even put them together with all the others I’m quoting. They are more the likes of Lazio and Fiorentina – decent but second tier.
Germany has Bayern, and at times, Dortmund and Leverkusen. Let’s be generous and say 3.
That’s 21 teams. I may have forgotten some team but I’ll round it up later, so the order of magnitude is quite accurate.
Let’s say that the players who are actually quite good in those 21 teams are, say, 30% to 50% of their rosters; the others are support players, helpful but not great, subs for depth, and so on. Let’s take a 40% average. Let’s say a typical roster has 25 players. OK, about 10 players.
Times 21 teams, 210 players. Let’s round it up to 250 players; that accounts for four more teams I may have missed.
Now compare with 130,000 professional players in the world.
That’s grossly 0.2% of all professional players, who make it to the top level of the top teams of the top 5 leagues in the world.
That is,1 in every 500 players make it.
Do you see now how unreasonable it is to prematurely hype someone who merely shows some potential, at this point in that player’s career? Any player has a 1 in 500 chance of making it big and confirming that potential.
Will Liberali be that 1 in 500? Sure, it’s not impossible. But it is unlikely. Period, full stop.
So, call me back and get me excited about him, once he actually makes it. Not before.
Cardinale is never ginna swallow his ego and bring him back. He will pocket the easy money and yet another of our promising players will go to a team who finished higher than us…as usual
Besides, playing for the Youth National Team of any country (and I currently don’t even think that Italy still qualifies as a top country as we missed the last three World Cups, lately having been eliminated by a team what ranked like what, 78 I think, by FIFA) is no guarantee of success with the same country’s senior national team.
Do this exercise: look at the roster of any prominent football country’s youth national team, and then compare with that same country’s senior national team roster 15 years later. You will see that the overlap in names is minimal. The vast majority of players who once featured for youth national teams, do not translate that, a decade and a half later, into success with that country’s senior national team. Most of those young players who once looked promising, disappear.