Liverpool: Sky Sports reporter drops Tuesday update on Romeo Lavia at Anfield
Liverpool remain in discussions with Southampton as they look to negotiate Romeo Lavia’s move to Merseyside
Liverpool are locked in ‘ongoing’ discussions with Southampton and there is optimism that an Anfield deal will eventually be struck over Romeo Lavia due to a key development, Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth has told GIVEMESPORT.
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp is eager to bolster his squad ahead of the Premier League campaign getting underway with a trip to Chelsea this weekend.
According to Sky Sports, Liverpool will have to meet Southampton’s £50million demands if they want to get a deal for Lavia over the line as the Championship side are standing firm.
The report suggests the Merseyside giants lodged a third bid worth £45million earlier this week, but Saints snubbed the proposal for the defensive midfielder after he made 34 appearances last season.
Liverpool are refusing to give up in their pursuit of Lavia, and it is understood that an improved offer was lodged a matter of hours after their latest setback.
Respected journalist Ben Jacobs recently told GIVEMESPORT that the Reds are increasingly optimistic of winning the race for the Belgium international as his preference is to head to Anfield.
That is despite Manchester United also considering a move for Lavia, while Chelsea are additional suitors looking to profit from Southampton’s relegation to the Championship.
Uncertainty over the 19-year-old’s future led to him only being an unused substitute for Southampton’s opening day win over Sheffield Wednesday.
Sheth believes that Liverpool remaining in talks with Southampton, despite failing with several bids, shows there is a deal to be done for Lavia.
The Sky Sports reporter feels Saints are refusing to lower their valuation of the former Manchester City man because they are eager for the majority of the fee to be paid upfront instead of in instalments or potential add-ons.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT on Tuesday, Sheth said: “Talks are ongoing, so I think there’s a deal to be done there. The fact that Liverpool have made three bids would suggest that they desperately want to bring in the player.
“The latest bid was around £45million all in, including add-ons. Even though that’s only £5million short of what Southampton are standing firm on, we haven’t really got all the information on how that deal would have been structured.
“If Southampton are standing firm on £50million, they might actually have another caveat to say they want the majority of that £50million paid up front, followed by the performance-related add-ons. They would also want those performance-related add-ons to be achievable, but the fact that they’re still talking would imply that the deal is there to be done.”
