Liverpool ‘agree £60m Romeo Lavia transfer but must convince Southampton midfielder to snub Chelsea move’
LIVERPOOL have agreed a £60million fee to sign Romeo Lavia from Southampton, according to reports.
The midfielder still has interest from Chelsea, however, and will have to be convinced by the Reds to move to Anfield instead.
GettyRomeo Lavia has plenty of interest from the Premier League[/caption]
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is desperate to bolster his midfield before the end of the transfer window.
The German thought his side had agreed a deal to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton last week.
Reds chiefs agreed to pay the Seagulls £111m to sign the midfielder, only for Caicedo to snub them in favour of a move to Stamford Bridge.
According to the Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg, Liverpool are now desperate to beat Chelsea to the signing of Lavia.
Club bosses had previously refused to bid more than £45m for the Saints’ 19-year-old midfielder.
But following Chelsea’s emergence and after losing out on Caicedo, Liverpool appear to have changed their stance.
There are concerns at Anfield, however, that Lavia also prefers a move to Stamford Bridge.
Lavia made 29 Premier League appearances for Saints last term following his move from Manchester City.
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He was an unused substitute in their Championship season opener against Sheffield Wednesday on August 4, and has not featured since.
Chelsea most recently offered £55m for Lavia last Friday.
They have since agreed to sign Caicedo in a British-record £115m deal, but indications suggest this hasn’t ended their interest in Lavia.
Klopp fielded an extremely attack-minded midfield trio comprising of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo for the Reds’ 1-1 draw at Chelsea yesterday.
Liverpool have lost midfielders Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and James Milner this summer.
Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott both featured from the bench at Stamford Bridge.
After yesterday’s match, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino admitted that he wants more signings before the end of the month.
Taking a dig at the Blues, Klopp said: “That’s what each Chelsea manager wants and usually they get it.”
Prior to potential deals for Caicedo and Lavia, the Blues had already spent around £180m this summer on Christopher Nkunku, Axel Disasi, Nicolas Jackson, Lesley Ugochukwu, Robert Sanchez and Angelo.
Liverpool, meanwhile, have spent a shade under £100m on Szoboszlai and Mac Allister.
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GettyMoises Caicedo is on the brink of joining Chelsea after snubbing Liverpool[/caption]
