With the Red’s pre-season now in full swing and their camp in Germany seeing the side concede six goals in just two games, it has reminded many just how much Jurgen Klopp needs to bring in a defensive midfielder this summer.
Southampton’s Romeo Lavia is one name heavily linked with a move to Merseyside. Despite suffering relegation from the Premier League last season, the Belgian was one of the shining stars in a poor Saints side.
Dan Clubbe spoke to the ever-reliable Sacha Tavolieri on this week’s Transfer Insight to learn more about a potential move to Merseyside for Lavia.
PERSONAL TERMS AGREED WITH ROMEO LAVIA | LFC Transfer News Update
When asked about the transfer, Sacha reiterated the importance of completing the Jordan Henderson and Fabinho departures before they brought in any fresh bodies: “I can tell you that Liverpool had taken information from Southampton, how it is going, what they want and how to push the deal on. Now, last week, Liverpool said they have to finalise their departures [Henderson & Fabinho] and when that is done have to focus right away on what is going on [with incomings].
“Klopp is really the boss in this transfer window, which is also why he got one of his friends in as a sporting director because he is a right-hand man of Klopp and is giving him good signs. He has said that ‘we don’t have to waste time’ and we know that anything can happen. As you can see there are problems with Chelsea and Caciedo and Liverpool don’t want to allow Chelsea to enter any talks with Lavia. […] As a result, Liverpool want to get this deal done soon. As we know, Lavia has been at the top of Liverpool’s list since the beginning of May.
DARWIN ON FIRE, LAVIA RUMOURS HEAT UP | Redmen Originals Liverpool Podcast
After giving Dan a rundown on the context behind the deal, the Belgian began to talk about the finances which could be involved in bringing Lavia to Anfield: “Liverpool are now going to make an offer to Southampton – but Liverpool will not reach the £50m that Southampton want and this is something Liverpool have made very clear. We will start with something around £35m, although I am not sure whether this will include add-ons or bonuses. They are going to make an official bid close to £35m and what Liverpool thinks will happen is that they will complete the deal at £40m. Liverpool want to make everyone happy and Southampton are really open to negotiating.
“The player was becoming increasingly annoyed because he was waiting for Liverpool to make a move, which was caused by some personal terms needing to be ironed out. But yes, the player has chosen Liverpool and he was convinced to join by Klopp – Lavia also given the green light on the deal around a week ago. Ever since personal terms were agreed Lavia has been waiting for an official bid to come in.”
‘LIVERPOOL THINK THEY CAN COMPLETE £40 MILLION DEAL FOR ROMEO LAVIA’ – Belgium Football Journalist
Redmen Reacts
While Lavia – who was described as ‘intelligent’ by Southampton writer Luke Osman – would definitely be a work in progress due to his age and lack of top-level experience, it would certainly be a statement signing for the future. Liverpool will have covered all bases this summer in terms of midfield, with an eight a six as well as a 10 being brought in all that is left for Liverpool to consider is more midfield depth and a centre-back to help sure things up.
Furthermore, for £40m Liverpool would be getting themselves a bit of a steal given the current context of the market. With the likes of Jude Bellingham, Enzo Fernandez and Declan Rice going for over £100m, signing Lavia for just a fraction of that cost would be a great piece of business.
TO HEAR MORE FROM SACHA ON LAVIA, CLICK HERE
