Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia is close to joining Liverpool, but Premier League rivals Chelsea are interested and could make a late rush to capture the ex-Man City teenager.
Chelsea and Liverpool are prepared to compete for the highly regarded Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia in a trade fight.
The 19-year-old Belgian has piqued the interest of both Premier League clubs, with Chelsea considering a late swoop after Liverpool’s opening bid. Chelsea made a verbal approach of £50 million for Lavia in August, which Southampton swiftly rejected.
However, with talks between Chelsea and Brighton for Moises Caicedo stalled, the Blues have returned their focus to Lavia. Joe Shields, Chelsea’s recruitment chief, was instrumental in bringing Lavia to Southampton from Manchester City, and the player is highly regarded by the Stamford Bridge management.
Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea’s manager, is keen to bolster his midfield options, and Lavia’s Premier League experience and potential make him an attractive target, reports the Express. Lavia had an impressive season with Southampton last year and is seen as a player with world-class potential.
Liverpool, meantime, is eager to capture Lavia’s talents and is drafting a better offer after having a previous bid rejected. The Reds have chosen Lavia as their primary target and have held positive talks with the player’s representatives as well as Southampton.
Liverpool’s next bid is believed to be competitive with Southampton’s, with the club offering to pay roughly £42.5 million, including add-ons. The Sains may accept offers in the area of £45 million after initially valuing Lavia at £50 million.
The midfielder is eager to move on, and Anfield officials are hopeful of completing a deal soon. Lavia’s possible transfer to Liverpool comes as the team prepares to say farewell to midfielder Fabinho, who is poised to join Al Ittihad following Jordan Henderson’s exit to Al Ettifaq.
Lavia’s future at Southampton is questionable, since he was substituted at halftime during a pre-season friendly against Bournemouth. “The transfer window should close before the start of the season – it’s ridiculous in my opinion and certainly not helpful,” remarked Russell Martin, manager of the Championship team.
“We’re a relegated club with a lot of talent that people want to see, but we’ll prepare as if they’ll be here because we have to.” There’s no assurance that anyone will leave; it’s a lot of effort with 27 players or whatever, but everyone will get a chance to participate.
“Considering what’s going on, I thought it was good for Romeo to play tonight and do all that stuff because he hasn’t had the minutes that other people have had.”
“You can request an update, but I can’t provide one because I don’t know.” I’m going to talk to Jason [Wilcox, director of football] right now, but I’ve been working hard in preparation for this game. I’ll only ever be honest with you, but I’m still not sure. Romeo has a lot going on in his thoughts.”
Follow up for more on Liverpool transfer window at https://footballcfc.co.uk/?p=1404&preview=true
