Chelsea look set to trump Liverpool to the signing of Romeo Lavia after submitting a £55m bid for the Southampton midfielder, according to the Guardian.
Liverpool were initially leading the race to sign Lavia after Jurgen Klopp identified the youngster as a potential replacement for Fabinho. The Reds are desperate to bring in another midfielder after seeing Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita, James Milner and Fabinho all leave this summer, leaving Klopp short of options in the middle of the park.
Liverpool saw multiple bids rejected for Lavia as Southampton held out for at least £50m. That opened the door for Chelsea to hijack Liverpool’s proposed move and after seeing a £48m bid knocked back last week, the Guardian claims that the West Londoners have now tabled a huge £55m offer.
The Sun are also reporting Chelsea’s £55m bid and they say the Blues are now on the verge of agreeing a deal with Southampton. With Chelsea also reportedly in pole position to sign Moises Caicedo, it look like Liverpool face missing out on two of their key midfield targets to their rivals.
Mauricio Pochettino desperately need to strengthen his midfield after letting the likes of N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount and Ruben Loftus-Cheek leave Stamford Bridge this summer.
Double swoop
His main priority is to sign Caicedo. Liverpool had a £110m offer for Caicedo accepted by Brighton on Thursday night but the player wants to join Chelsea. The Blues have refused to give up their pursuit of the 21-year-old and ready to ready to match Liverpool’s offer.
They are also looking to add Lavia to their midfield as Pochettino eyes a sensational double swoop that will cost around £165m. Lavia has reportedly already said his goodbyes to Southampton teammates ahead of his proposed move away from the south coast club.
There is still time for Liverpool to increase their offer for the 19-year-old but as it stands it appears Chelsea are in pole position to wrap up a deal as the spending continues under owner Todd Boehly.
Lavia’s contract with Southampton will expire in 2027, having joined the club from Manchester City last summer. He has made it clear to the club that he wants to leave following their relegation from the Premier League last season.
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