According to a report in CaughtOffisde, Liverpool want to sign Saints FC midfielder Romeo Lavia but the Reds have one major hesitation.
Journalist Ben Jacobs is claiming that Lavia is Liverpool’s priority signing as Jurgen Klopp wants to add another midfielder to his squad but they do not wish to spend £50 million on the youngster.
In his Caught Offside column, Jacobs wrote: “Liverpool will likely add another midfielder and Romeo Lavia is quite high on the list of options. Lavia would be keen on the move, but price is currently a stumbling block,”
“Southampton want £50m for Lavia and Liverpool don’t see him as being worth anywhere near that much. It’s the same for Arsenal and Chelsea. Those two clubs are focused elsewhere for now, but can’t be ruled out. Arsenal want to understand if Thomas Partey will leave. And Chelsea are exploring Brighton’s Moises Caicedo with near-daily talks.“
How much should Liverpool spend on the Saints midfielder?
Romeo Lavia was one of the few bright sparks in an otherwise disappointing season for Southampton and the Saints fully understand how valuable the 19-year-old is.
They want £50 million for the midfielder but Liverpool feel £40 million is the correct valuation for someone who has played only 36 senior games for Southampton and Man City combined.
We don’t think Arsenal or Chelsea will show any major interest in Lavia because they are already chasing their own priority targets and even Barcelona have backed off from this deal.
Barca cannot afford to spend so much on the Saints midfielder so they are no longer in the race but it will be interesting to see how Xavi’s side responds if Southampton agree lower their price asking price in the coming weeks.
Lavia’s contract expires in 2027 so his club are in no hurry to cash in on him which is a major reason why they are not likely to lower their demands. Also, Man City have a 20% sell-on clause on the midfielder’s contract so Southampton will obviously try and get as much value as possible from this sale.
Liverpool have quoted a reasonable fee for Romeo Lavia but the Saints have no reason to budge. It’s the Reds who are desperate to sign a new midfielder asap so they will have to take the initiative in this matter. James Milner and Naby Keita have left the club and there’s a chance that both Henderson and Thiago could be sold as well. On the incoming front, Liverpool have just brought in Alexis Mac Allister and Dominic Szoboszlai but the latter is an attacking midfielder which means Klopp still needs to add at least two more central midfielders before the 23/24 season kicks off.
There’s no way Fabinho and Mac Allister can go through the whole of next season, more so when they will be playing in the Europa League.
At the end of the day, £50 million might seem like a lot for someone who will be playing in the second tier this coming season but the Saints midfielder is only 19 years old and if he can keep up the hard work then he’s definitely one for the future.
