An astonishing report has labeled a sidelined Liverpool star a ‘captive’ at Anfield, though other outlets have reported the complete opposite.

Liverpool’s frontline underwent sweeping changes this summer. Rio Ngumoha stepped up to the senior squad, while Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak all arrived in big-money moves. Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott departed, and tragically, Diogo Jota lost his life.

One figure who stayed at Anfield despite endless speculation about a move away was Federico Chiesa.

Chiesa certainly wasn’t short of suitors during the summer, with teams in Italy and Turkey making solid approaches.

Yet, even after Liverpool left Chiesa out of their 22-man Champions League group list, every single enquiry for the winger was rejected.

Suggestions that Chiesa is being trapped at Liverpool against his supposed wish to exit contradict what most other reliable reports claim.

In mid-August after his late winner versus Bournemouth, Chiesa stressed he was content at Liverpool, saying: “We’ll discuss with the club, but honestly, I’m happy here.

“I play for one of the greatest sides in football: I just need patience and readiness like tonight.

“My task is to prove I deserve a place. I must add, the coach has treated me very well in recent months.”

Notably, Besiktas’ approach came only AFTER Chiesa already knew about his Champions League omission.

Also, Arne Slot’s comments earlier this week hinted strongly that Chiesa has reacted positively to his UCL exclusion.

“Clearly it wasn’t easy as a coach, it’s a harsh call,” Slot admitted. “Of course he was disappointed, but he respected the reasoning.

“He gave the reaction every manager hopes for and he’ll be available in the league and cups.

“He’s trained with real intensity these past days, which counts even more than whatever a player says publicly.”

Evidently, the outlandish report that Chiesa is a ‘captive’ at Anfield is pure nonsense.