According to Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri, Southampton expect Liverpool to offer the full £50m asking price to sign midfielder Romeo Lavia this summer.
The Merseyside giants have been locked in negotiations with Southampton for Lavia over the past few weeks, but they have yet to reach an agreement. Liverpool recently made an improved offer of £45 million for the teenager, but the proposal was immediately turned down by the Saints.
Southampton are clear that they won’t sell him for less than £50 million in the current transfer window, and Tavolieri claims that the Saints believe Liverpool will eventually meet their demands.
Huge potential
Lavia signed for the Saints from Manchester City last summer, and he had a promising debut season in the Premier League. The youngster was hampered by a hamstring injury after few games into the campaign, but he continued to impress following his comeback.
As per Sofascore, the 19-year-old completed 86% of his passes in the English top-flight last season. He won 2.1 tackles and 4.9 duels per outing for the Saints. These are quite impressive statistics for a young defensive midfielder and he should only get better with age and experience.
Liverpool have identified him as the successor to the recently-departed Fabinho, but they have been haggling over the price over several weeks. With the new season about to start, Jurgen Klopp’s side could eventually decide to meet the asking price to sign the City graduate.
The club are currently short in the holding midfield department. Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic have returned to training after respective injuries, but may not be fully fit for the new season. Alexis Mac Allister can play in the role, but he is more suited higher up the field.
Lavia has the chance to cement the position if he were to join Liverpool. The midfielder was not in the Saints squad to face Gillingham in the Carabao Cup yesterday. This is a big hint that Southampton are bracing for his departure in the coming days.
