Liverpool are admirers of Romeo Lavia and a new report suggests they have inquired about the Southampton midfielder. Liverpool have reportedly asked about £50m-rated Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia.
Southampton are under former Swansea City manager Russell Martin next season and are preparing for the Championship season for the first time since 2012 after being relegated from the Premier League.
Martin is the fourth manager to lead the Saints since November after Ralph Hasenhuttl, Nathan Jones and Ruben Selles all lost their jobs.
It was Hasenhüttl – a friend of Liverpool manager Klopp – who removed Lavia from Manchester City’s youth department last summer.
The Belgium international then enjoyed a brilliant first season in the English top flight despite Southampton finishing bottom.
But the question remains whether they’ll be able to keep their prized possessions, like Lavia and Captain James Ward-Prowse. And in their report, the Mail says Liverpool have joined Arsenal in the race to sign Lavia. Chelsea and Manchester United would also be interested.
After signing from the Citizens for £10.5m, Hasenhuttl was delighted with Lavia’s qualities and wanted to develop the youngster into a ‘first-class’ player.
“We know his qualities, but we try to be positive with him, but also critical because we want to make him a top player,” he said.
“It’s important for those players not to immediately get compliments on their excellent or good performance, but also to be critical of the things they need to improve.
“What I like about these young guys is that they seem to be very self-critical and want to learn, and always want input. This is a really cool character, I think they get better because when you think you’re a superstar it’s hard to make them better.”
Theo Walcott was a teammate of Lavia during his debut season at St Mary’s. And the former Everton striker described a quality of the Belgian that stands out.
“I’m a huge fan [of Lavia],”
Walcott told talkSPORT in January. “Obviously he’s had a few injuries but he’s coming back. He’s young, he’s 18/19 when he’s off the pitch, but when he’s on the pitch he’s crazy.
“It’s like he’s played over 200 games in the Premier League, that’s how I appreciate him. It’s very interesting to watch him from the stands. Obviously he looks so easy from the stands, he always is.”
“You probably know when you look at us, ‘he has to run or pass’ it’s not that simple, but when I look at it I think ‘you look way beyond your age now’.
“It’s a good sign and hopefully we can keep him fit. They’re all learning, but most importantly he’s learning faster than usual I would say.”
