Liverpool have reportedly agreed to pay Southampton £60 million ($76m) for Romeo Lavia but their next task is to persuade the player to choose them over Chelsea.
Sky Sports recently reported that the Saints have accepted a substantial offer from Liverpool for their 19-year-old midfielder, Lavia.
Nevertheless, Jurgen Klopp’s team must convince the young player to join them at Anfield, especially considering the strong interest from Chelsea.
Last week, Liverpool made a £111m ($141m) offer for Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo, which was accepted. However, the 21-year-old ultimately chose to join Chelsea instead.
Caicedo is now poised to join Mauricio Pochettino’s team in a British record-breaking £115m ($146m) deal.
Concerning the 19-year-old Southampton midfielder, Klopp’s side had previously declined to offer more than £50m ($63m) for Lavia.
While Chelsea are rigorously making efforts to sign Lavia having submitted a bid of £55 million for the Belgian player last Friday, August 11.
Meanwhile, Liverpool are in urgent need of reinforcements in the midfield and they are determined to pursue the player who desires to leave Southampton following their relegation from the Premier League.
On Sunday night, August 13, it was reported that Liverpool increased their bid for Lavia after initially declining to exceed £45m.
The Reds have now reached an agreement for the acquisition of Southampton midfielder Roméo with the latest deal amounting to £60m.
This comes after Southampton had rejected three previous offers for the talented 19-year-old from the Merseyside club.
Lavia, who joined Southampton from Manchester City last summer, has four years remaining on his contract. However, it is anticipated that he will depart as Southampton was relegated from the Premier League last season.
The Belgium international did not make an appearance during Southampton’s victory over Sheffield on the opening night of the season, August 4.
Additionally, he was not included in the squad for the Carabao Cup loss against Gillingham on Tuesday, August 8, or the 4-4 draw with Norwich on Saturday, August 12.
Chelsea and Liverpool are in need of Midfielders
Jürgen Klopp is eager to bolster his midfield and has been disappointed by Chelsea’s success in securing the signing of Moisés Caicedo from Brighton.
Chelsea on the other hand, are interested in acquiring two midfielders during this transfer window.
Negotiations between Chelsea and Leeds United regarding the potential signing of Tyler Adams fell through last week, leaving Romeo Lavia as their pivotal option.
However, Klopp’s concern lies in the indications that Lavia may prefer a move to Chelsea.
The London side could defeat Liverpool to sign Lavia just like they did in Caicedo’s bid which could result in them securing another talented youngster ahead of Liverpool.
How Liverpool can defeat Chelsea to sign Lavia
It is widely believed that Chelsea are currently in the lead to sign Lavia.
Therefore, Liverpool should take advantage of this situation and make a compelling case to convince the midfielder to choose them instead. If not, Klopp will forfeit this deal and continues his search for a new midfielder.
Do you think Chelsea could win Romeo over after hijacking Moises Caicedo from Liverpool? Please, air your thoughts with us in the comments box.
