Liverpool stepping up pursuit to sign Romeo Lavia with a new bid imminent
According to Paul Joyce for the Times (subscription required), Liverpool are stepping up their pursuit to sign Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia with a second bid imminent.
A few days ago, it was revealed in the Athletic (subscription required) that Saints have rejected an opening bid by Liverpool worth around £37m for the Belgian international.
The latest is that Lavia is Jurgen Klopp’s top target for this summer window. Liverpool were initially reluctant to meet Southampton’s asking price of £50m, but the interest in Fabinho and the departure of Jordan Henderson to Saudi Arabia has changed the landscape to an extent.
Chelsea have also shown interest in the 19-year-old, but the player is keen on a move to Anfield. It means that personal terms are not an issue once the fee is agreed between the relevant clubs.
The report also updates us that Klopp is pushing to sign a defender with Joel Matip entering the final year of his contract. The Reds could do with a young addition to the back line.
If we go through the current Liverpool squad, only Stefan Bajcetic is left as the natural option to play the defensive midfield position. The Spaniard hasn’t trained with the squad yet since getting a stress response injury back in March.
Klopp has tried Curtis Jones and Trent Alexander-Arnold there in the pre-season games so far but they are not comfortable there as expected.
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So, it is imperative that the club acts fast and adds Lavia to the fore sooner rather than later. We are less than two weeks away from Liverpool’s league game against Chelsea. If the Belgian joins the squad this week, he would have a few days to acclimatise to the new surroundings and understand the playing system.
