Liverpool have been in direct contact with Southampton over the potential signing of Romeo Lavia.
So says the journalist Fabrizio Romano. Speaking on the Debrief podcast, the transfer expert said that although no official offer is imminent, Liverpool have started to make their efforts to sign Lavia a bit more concrete.
“Southampton want around £50m for Romeo Lavia. But from what I’ve heard Liverpool have had direct contact, both with the club and with the player, in recent days to explore terms of the deal,” Romano explained.
“Now is not the time for an offer, rather it is the time to have internal discussions before addressing a situation for a new midfielder.” But they are knowledgeable about Lavia.
Liverpool meets Lavia competition
However, according to Romano, the Reds are not the only team interested in Lavia. Arsenal and Chelsea also appear set to battle for his signature. However, the reporter hinted that Liverpool could lead the race.
“They [Liverpool] know Arsenal are there too, but for Arsenal it depends on Thomas Partey,” Romano continued. “They are working on a possible exit for Partey, but it’s not that easy.
“For Chelsea they have Joe Shields, one of the directors Lavia had at Southampton and of course at Manchester City.
“So the connection is very good. But at the same time, Chelsea are busy with Moises Caciedo. For that reason, Liverpool believe it could be a race with Arsenal and Romeo Lavia is definitely one of the players they have on the list.”
Very well then. It looks like Liverpool will sign another midfielder this summer and it’s this youngster.
Khephren Thuram looked like the other player most likely to be brought on. But reports this morning suggest the Reds have now ceased their interest in the French.
There have also been claims that nothing more will be pursued with Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch. Since this morning, Lavia’s is by now the only name firmly in the frame.
However, now that another interest in Belgian is emerging, that could change. Liverpool may need to be quick to take on Arsenal and Chelsea and it looks like they are trying to do just that.
There’s still plenty of time for others to step in. But Lavia – the player Jadon Sancho called a ‘special’ [The Daily Mail] – is the center of attention for now.
