According to one journalist, Liverpool have a’very realistic’ chance of landing Romeo Lavia on their terms.
According to Fabrizio Romano (via CaughtOffside), the Reds are pursuing the Southampton midfielder as a ‘priority’ target and are continuing to negotiate with the Saints.
Chelsea are also said to be interested in the 19-year-old, which may ignite a bidding battle and enable the south coast club get close to the £50 million asking price.
In an interview with GIVEMESPORT, Jacobs stated why Russell Martin’s side is trying to receive such a high price for Lavia, but that Liverpool could try to get him for somewhat less.
The journalist stated: “Southampton are holding out for £50m, because a year ago, that’s what Chelsea tried to offer in the final days of the window.
“Even though we haven’t seen a formal Chelsea offer yet, they’re talking up the finances and disrupting the market. They’re inflating the market and Liverpool know this, which is why they want to move quickly.
“Liverpool are reliant on the fact that they’re got player buy-in and now it’s about what deal they can get done for under £50m and how much under £50m, because when Liverpool don’t see value, they tend to walk away.
“But in this case, they believe they can get a deal done on their terms and things are progressing. So this one stands a very realistic possibility now of getting done.”
Over the weekend, there was little visible movement in Liverpool’s pursuit, albeit their attention would have been concentrated on Sunday’s friendly against Leicester and finalizing Fabinho’s imminent departure to Al-Ittihad.
It’s intriguing to hear Jacobs explain Chelsea’s disruptive effect in driving up the potential price for Lavia, and we know from the previous two transfer windows that Todd Boehly isn’t afraid to spend big money to get the players he wants at Stamford Bridge.
The Reds, though, remain in the driving seat for the 19-year-old due to the ‘buy-in’ they have from him, and as the journalist mentioned, FSG don’t usually sanction deals that require paying over the odds for a Jurgen Klopp transfer target.
It’s even more promising that Liverpool might feasibly recruit the Southampton midfielder’on their terms’ rather than being outbid by the Championship team.
We should ideally see things moving significantly on the Lavia front this week, with less than a fortnight now remaining until the Merseysiders begin their Premier League campaign.
