Liverpool are reportedly expected to sign Southampton star Romeo Lavia this summer, as per Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth.
The Merseyside club have prioritised bolstering their engine room in this transfer window and have already purchased Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.
However, following the departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, the Reds have opted to accelerate their efforts to sign a new midfielder before the end of this window.
Several players have been mentioned as potential targets for Liverpool over the last few weeks with Lavia now emerging as the primary option.
The Merseyside club have already submitted three official proposals worth up to £45m to acquire the 19-year-old’s service. But, Southampton have turned down all of those offers as they are not willing to sell Lavia for anything less than £50m.
Lavia to Liverpool
So, doubts started to emerge about whether Liverpool will move forward with this deal following their latest bid being rejected by the Saints.
But, speaking to GiveMeSport, Sheth has reported that Liverpool are continuing negotiations with Southampton to find an agreement to sign the midfielder. So there is a likelihood that this deal could eventually get done before the end of this window as the Reds’ latest bid is very close to the South Coast side’s asking price.
The journalist further claims that Jurgen Klopp’s side have already submitted three formal offers and that indicates they are desperately willing to purchase the player. Therefore, they aren’t expected to give up on signing the Belgian star just yet.
Sheth said:
“Talks are ongoing, so I think there’s a deal to be done there. The fact that Liverpool have made three bids would suggest that they desperately want to bring in the player.
“The latest bid was around £45million all in, including add-ons. Even though that’s only £5million short of what Southampton are standing firm on, we haven’t really got all the information on how that deal would have been structured.
“If Southampton are standing firm on £50million, they might actually have another caveat to say they want the majority of that £50million paid up front, followed by the performance-related add-ons. They would also want those performance-related add-ons to be achievable, but the fact that they’re still talking would imply that the deal is there to be done.”
Lavia has already showcased glimpses of his talent during his debut campaign in the Premier League last season. So, he would certainly be a great coup for Liverpool with a view to the long-term future if they eventually manage to secure his signature in this transfer window.
