Liverpool dressing room's clear feelings on Federico Chiesa as Man City eye huge transfer

Liverpool's stars will be at ease if rivals Manchester City manage to get their hands on Real Madrid's Rodrygo, and it's all thanks to Federico Chiesa. Rumours linking City with a move for winger Rodrygo have intensified of late, with the deal believed to hinge on the future of Savinho.

Despite only arriving at the Etihad last year, Savinho is already being tipped for a City exit this summer. Tottenham have been in talks to sign the player, who is supposedly available for a fee in the region of £70million.

If City were to receive their full valuation of Savinho, it would free up the funds necessary to pursue a move for Rodrygo. That could be the kind of deal that ends up tipping the balance in the title race come season's end, though Liverpool appear content with Chiesa.

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The Reds were themselves linked with Rodrygo earlier in the transfer window before that speculation cooled. And Chiesa has at points been touted for an exit prior to his heroic intervention against Bournemouth on Friday.

The Cherries staged an audacious comeback attempt at Anfield and rebounded from two goals down to draw level thanks to Antoine Semenyo's brace. That was until Chiesa came off the bench before firing in Liverpool's third in the 88th minute, while Mohamed Salah added a fourth shortly after.

And it was easy to see just how happy Liverpool's stars were to see Chiesa get on the score sheet. The Italian has endured a sometimes frustrating stay on Merseyside since joining as their only new arrival last summer.

Chiesa has toiled away under Arne Slot and battled through a winter injury in a rocky first season in England. The 27-year-old made just 16 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions last term but appears to have won over those who matter most.

Reports have indicated the Premier League champion is well liked inside Slot's dressing room. And his impact at home to Bournemouth is the latest indicator he's ready to have a much bigger say on his side's success this season.

So much so that seeing Rodrygo join a direct rival may not even be enough to ruffle feathers at Anfield, not that the transfer is guaranteed so long as Savinho remains at the Etihad. Pep Guardiola, who has been very complimentary of his player, has suggested that could well end up being the case.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of City's season-opening win at Wolves, Guardiola addressed Savinho's links with the exit door and said: "If Tottenham in that case - or any other club - wants a player, they should call the club right? It's the same like we do. I'm only concerned right now, today, that Savinho will be with us until the end of the season.

"And, hopefully, for many, many years. He's 21-years-old with the potential that he has. He's played a lot of minutes, he has to improve in the final decisions. But he's an extraordinary player, otherwise he would not have played more than 3,000 minutes."

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