Liverpool are considering the next move in the summer transfer market with Roméo Lavia among the possible options to consider for Jürgen Klopp in the current period.
Despite the arrivals of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, Liverpool could sign another midfielder this summer, with more options under consideration.
Among them, according to This Is Anfield reporter David Lynch, is Roméo Lavia at Southampton – with the arrival of Szoboszlai, Khéphren Thuram from Nice would no longer be an option.
ECHO add that Thuram is still on the agenda, with the club’s recruiting staff still deciding their next move, but Lavia is certainly high on the list.
What kind of player is Lavia? Firstly, he’s young but has a year of Premier League experience having been one of the best players in a Southampton side that struggled and were later relegated.
According to Goal, Southampton are keen to bring the player down to $64m (£50m/€58m).
Lavia won’t turn 20 until January and would be more of a ‘project’ signing for Liverpool – a high-achieving player who could slowly be brought into the squad without being an immediate starter.
Primarily playing as a number six, he is three inches shorter than Fabinho but offers a degree of physicality.
Lavia does very well for position players on blocks, relatively well on tackles and interceptions, and averages 1.13 catches per 90 minutes.
It paints a picture of someone who is reasonably resilient under pressure and who could be molded into the type of defensive midfielder Liverpool need in the long run.
His passing progress isn’t particularly high, but that could be down to the team he played for last season – that’s not a big deal either, as Trent Alexander-Arnold and other members of the Reds team have them in abundance.
The Belgian would be considered homegrown (if he was old enough to make that particular list) as he once played for Manchester City and Kevin De Bruyne is a fan.
“If he continues his development I think he will be a top player,” the Manchester City and Belgium star said of Lavia in 2022 (via Hampshire Live). Pep Guardiola also described him as ‘incredible’.
Why doesn’t Manchester City seem to be targeting him a year before his buyout clause enters the equation? Maybe it’s because of the lack of minutes he might be able to secure.
With Rodri, still only 27 and with years left of his prime, Guardiola’s main starting player, there is little opportunity for Lavia to return and play a regular role. Manchester City still has Kalvin Phillips and Mateo Kovačić has just arrived from Chelsea.
Conversely, there may be a clear progression plan for Lavia at Anfield: to start the season as a rotation option and eventually he could compete with one or two others on the fringes to become a regular starter.
Time will tell if Lavia is the next midfielder to go through the Liverpool goal, but there’s a lot to like about his profile.
