Liverpool are “in a hurry” to seal the signature of Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia, according to journalist Sacha Tavolieri.
The Belgian reporter, who has had the inside track on this move from the very beginning, claims that the Reds will up their bid from £37m to £45m for the Belgian international after rivals “Chelsea tried” to muscle in on the transfer:
🇧🇪🔴 #LiverpoolFC now try a closing in on 45M£ deal for Romeo Lavia.
The aim is to get the player at Singapour with the squad.
As called by @FabrizioRomano, Reds are in a hurry as #ChelseaFC tried an ultimate approach in these ultimate hours thanks to Joe Shields pressing.
🔜…— Sacha Tavolieri (@sachatavolieri) July 26, 2023
Tavolieri has already claimed that Lavia has agreed personal terms with Liverpool and that he “wants” to join the Reds, so the Merseyside club do have a crucial advantage over Chelsea, who seem to have joined the race for his services pretty late on.
Of course, that doesn’t rule them out from hijacking the deal if they make a big enough offer for the 19-year-old.
Liverpool’s next bid will still fall short of Southampton’s asking price
It is believed that Jurgen Klopp’s side will table a proposal worth £42.5m upfront, with another £2.5m in add-ons, which is still below the Saints’ £50m valuation.
The reason why the Championship club are demanding so much for Lavia is due to the fact that the midfielder’s previous team, Manchester City, have a 20% sell-on clause so, even with an offer totalling £45m, Southampton will receive only £36m.
A deal by this weekend?
If, as Tavolieri claims, the Reds want Lavia in before the tour of Singapore begins, it means we could see negotiations accelerate in the next few days.
Klopp’s men take on Leicester City in the Far East on Sunday before they face Bayern Munich in a week’s time.
