A second source have earmarked Liverpool as favourites to sign a £50m-rated midfielder, though renewed hopes of landing a Dutch international have been dashed.
The Reds will enter the new campaign full of hope once their midfield rebuild is complete. Three new additions were anticipated once the summer window opened, with the arrivals of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai leaving room for one more.
An audacious swoop for Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde has crashed and burned. Why a move for the Uruguay destroyer cannot take place has since been revealed.
A more gettable target comes in the form of Southampton’s Romeo Lavia. The 19-year-old counts Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea among his admirers following a breakthrough campaign with the Saints.
Lavia would represent a more defensive-minded option for Klopp and complete his midfield shopping spree. It’s not inconceivable that Lavia flanked by Mac Allister and Szoboszlai would be Liverpool’s strongest midfield three in the very near future.
When addressing what the future holds for Lavia, The Athletic’s Southampton expert, Jacob Tanswell, recently claimed a Liverpool move is the likeliest outcome.
Now, a second source has added further fuel to the fire, this time in the form of Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg.
When addressing Lavia amid fleeting interest from Bayern Munich, Plettenberg said: “Liverpool have very, very good cards.
“[Ryan] Gravenberch is out of the race, Lavia is definitely in it.”
Gravenberch is a Liverpool target dating back to the winter window. BILD recently claimed a U-turn in Bavaria is in the works and Bayern may actually be willing to part ways with the Dutch international despite publicly stating he’s not for sale.
However, if Plettenberg is correct, Gravenberch remains untouchable.
Liverpool £10m short, but Lavia wants Reds
That won’t bother Liverpool too much if they’re able to wrap up a deal for Lavia. Per Sky Sports News, Southampton will hold out for their full £50m asking price, while Football Insider claim the Reds are ‘only currently willing to offer around £40m.’
While a compromise on fee may well be needed, there’ll be no such issues regarding personal terms.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Lavia is fully prepared to accept a move back into the top flight.
Romano told GiveMeSport: “I think it’s going to be crucial to see who’s going to agree [a deal] with Southampton because the player is prepared to leave, he’s prepared to say yes, so it’s about the clubs now and Southampton.”
Furthermore, Football Insider claimed Liverpool are ‘convinced Lavia wants to join them’. The outlet concluded a deal is ultimately ‘expected to be agreed.’