Chelsea are interested in signing Romeo Lavia and could battle Liverpool over a deal for the Southampton midfielder, as per Fabrizio Romano.
The Reds want to sign a new midfielder amid uncertainty over Fabinho’s future at Anfield. Liverpool’s skipper Jordan Henderson is also facing an uncertain future as he is being targeted by Saudi clubs. Likewise, Fabinho has not made the trip to Germany with the rest of the Liverpool squad and he is likely to be sold to Al-Ittihad.
If Fabinho completes his £40m switch to last season’s Saudi Arabian champions, then Liverpool are expected to move for Lavia. Romano says that the 19-year-old is a top target for the Reds, but he has been told that Chelsea are also in the race to sign the Belgian youngster.
The problem with Liverpool is that they are not willing to pay Southampton’s asking price, which could open the door for Chelsea.
Romano told Give Me Sport:
“This week, they will clarify that [Fabinho’s future], and then they will sign a new midfielder. In any case, Liverpool want to sign a midfielder.
“Romeo Lavia is one of the names they have on the list. They’re not super happy about the asking price. It’s something close to £50m, asked from Southampton. They want to pay way less than this for Lavia.
“They are also aware of the interests of other clubs, including Chelsea. So, this is why the Lavia situation is not that easy, but for sure, he is one of the names on the list.”
Liverpool favourites
Despite the signings of Brighton & Hove Albion’s Alexis Mac Allister and RB Leipzig’s Dominik Szoboszlai, the Reds are looking to add one or two more midfielders to the squad this summer.
Liverpool previously held talks with Bayern Munich over the signature of Ryan Gravenberch, and they still retain an interest in the Dutchman.
Southampton have no choice but to cash-in on Lavia after dropping down to the Championship. The teenager wants to leave and if there’s a decent offer on the table, they will have to accept it.
Southampton will hope that Chelsea will come up with an offer, and in that case, they can sell Lavia to the highest bidder.
The Blues are also in the race to sign secure the signing of Moises Caicedo. It could take around £80m to land the Brighton midfielder, but they need more players after offloading N’Golo Kante, Mason Mount, and Mateo Kovacic.
