Liverpool and Chelsea are now in pole position to sign Southampton midfielder and Arsenal target Romeo Lavia this summer, according to reports.
Is Romeo Lavia leaving Southampton?
The Belgium international only arrived at St. Mary’s from Premier League rivals Manchester City last summer, but during the 34 appearances he made during his debut season, he was one of the standout stars in a struggling side that eventually suffered relegation to the Championship.
The Saints’ 19-year-old established himself as Ruben Selles’ former side’s second top-performing defensive player which is impressive considering he’s still a teenager, so despite the fact that his contract doesn’t expire for another four years, he’s caught the eye of several managers in the top-flight, including Jurgen Klopp.
Fabrizio Romano recently reported that the Reds and Arsenal have both “asked [for] conditions” of a potential deal for the south coast outfit’s talented prospect, whilst Manchester United and Chelsea are only “monitoring” him and have held no "active talks” at this stage.
Are Liverpool signing Lavia?
According to Football Transfers, Liverpool and Chelsea have “overtaken” Arsenal in the hot pursuit of Lavia ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
The Gunners are claimed to have been favourites due to Mikel Arteta’s personal admiration for the player, but he could now “risk losing out” due to focusing all of his attention on the deal for West Ham’s Declan Rice. Lavia had been picked out as a replacment for Thomas Partey.
Southampton have placed a £40m price tag on their prized asset’s head, and with one of the initial frontrunners having put a swoop on the backburner, the Reds are in a “better” position to secure his services.
FSG will likely believe that Southampton demanding £40m for Lavia is extortionate considering that they were able to secure Alexis Mac Allister for £35m, but the defensive midfielder has got the potential to be a fantastic long-term signing so an opening offer should definitely be considered to test the waters.
The Elite Project Group client, who’s sponsored by Adidas, last season ranked in the 96th percentile for blocks by midfielders and won 35 out of his 60 tackles, which was the second-highest success rate throughout his squad, as per FBRef, so he’s not afraid to get stuck in when it comes to challenges.
Southampton’s “monster”, as dubbed by journalist Benjy Nurick, also has the ability to operate slightly higher up in central midfield alongside his usual role sitting just in front of the backline, so he would provide the boss with a little bit of extra versatility, making him an option to seriously think about should the opportunity to strike a deal present itself.