Revealed: Liverpool have personal agreement with midfielder after late-night talks
Sources: Liverpool have personal agreement with Romeo Lavia after more drama
Liverpool have not given up hope of signing Romeo Lavia even though they have been out-bid by Chelsea in more transfer drama, sources have told Football Insider.
The Merseysiders are working on bringing in another central midfielder and have a personal agreement in place with the Southampton star.
Chelsea have offered around £55m for Lavia, who has been the subject of three failed bids from Liverpool worth up to £48m, despite also looking to complete a British-record deal for Moises Caicedo.
Chelsea are on the brink of finally signing Caicedo in an astonishing package worth £115m including add-ons.
The final terms of the deal were being negotiated on Saturday evening after they agreed to improve on Liverpool’s £111m offer that was accepted by Brighton on Thursday.
Caicedo informed Liverpool on Friday that he wanted to join Chelsea, which opened the door again for the London club to renegotiate.
Meanwhile, Lavia was left out of Southampton’s line-up to face Norwich on Saturday as he wasn’t in the right frame of mind to play as transfer talks continued.
Manager Russell Martin said: “I believe it’s edging closer to a conclusion.”
The Lavia situation is especially pressing for Liverpool, who begin their new Premier League campaign on Sunday against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge without the new midfield anchorman they have been seeking after losing Jordan Henderson and Fabinho this summer in mega-money Saudi Arabian moves.
Man City will be entitled to 20% of any fee received for his services and hold a £40m buy-back option which becomes active next summer (2024).
Lavia, whose contract at Southampton runs until June 2027, turned out 34 times across all competitions last season.
