Chelsea are ready hijack Liverpool’s attempts to sign Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia and are set to table a ‘higher offer’, according to Ben Jacobs.
The Blues are keen on signing at least one midfielder before their Premier League opener against Jurgen Klopp’s side at Stamford Bridge after selling the likes of Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Chelsea’s first priority is to bring in Brighton & Hove Albion youngster Moises Caicedo and have had four bids rejected by the Seagulls with the latest one worth £75m plus £5m in add-ons.
The West Londoners’ previous bids worth £60m, £65m, and £70m have all been turned by Roberto De Zerbi’s outfit – who value the 21-year-old in the region of £100m.
Chelsea could turn their attention to other transfer targets if Brighton continue to play hardball and have already identified Lavia as an ideal alternative.
According to renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool’s new bid for Lavia is almost ready as they are set to submit around £42.5m guaranteed fee plus £2.5m add-ons.
The Reds’ initial bid for the 19-year-old was rejected by Southampton as the Saints are demanding £50m, according to Romano. And this represents a cheaper option for Chelsea.
Competition
According to Ben Jacobs, Chelsea are ready to try and hijack Liverpool’s attempts to sign Lavia and are prepared to submit a ‘higher offer’ to sway the deal in their favour.
The Blues have long been fans of Lavia and submitted a £50m bid last year, so it looks like they are ready to renew their pursuit of the Belgian youngster as Mauricio Pochettino looks to bring in a new midfielder.
However, Jacobs says that Lavia is ‘still sold’ on joining Liverpool so Chelsea may have to work hard to persuade the youngster to snub Anfield and move to Stamford Bridge instead.
Liverpool are in the market for a midfielder following the exit of skipper Jordan Henderson to Saudi Arabia while Fabinho could also be on the way to the Gulf State. The Merseysiders have brought in Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai but more signings are expected before the window closes.
Lavia was ever-present for Southampton last season, featuring in 34 games and making two goal contributions in all competitions. He would be an excellent signing for Chelsea or Liverpool, so it will be interesting to see where he ends up.
Read more: Report: 19-goal star wants to join Chelsea ‘quickly’ after opening transfer bid
