Liverpool FC have finally agreed a deal with Southampton for Roméo Lavia. According to The Gaurdian, they have offered a deal worth £60m for the talented midfielder. However, the deal has not been finalized yet as The Reds face ‘intense‘ competition from Chelsea, who have also made strong efforts to sign Lavia. The Southampton player has been in talks with both the clubs over the past few weeks. Southampton had rejected 3 bids from Liverpool, the 3rd bid being the highest one. The deal was reported to be worth £45m, but was deemed “too low” by Southampton.
Chelsea and Liverpool took on each other in their first game of the season, yesterday at Stamford Bridge. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, with the only goals being scored by Luis Diaz for Liverpool and Axel Disasi for Chelsea, who scored on his debut.
However, the battle between both the teams began even before their clash at the Bridge. Chelsea started the transfer battle by making a move for Liverpool’s top target, Lavia. They offered Southampton, a deal worth £55m, which was reportedly accepted. Later that day, Liverpool poured fuel to the fire by bidding a British-record fee for Chelsea’s top target, Moises Caicedo, worth a staggering £111m. However, Liverpool and Klopp were left shocked by Caicedo’s decision to snub them as he only wants Chelsea.
Liverpool are in ‘desperate’ need for a Defensive Midfielder
Yesterday’s match can be considered as very hard fought draw for The Reds. Despite scoring first and playing well in the first 20-30 mins, Liverpool struggled a lot after that. The second half, especially, was completely dominated by The Blues. They mainly took advantage of Liverpool’s weak midfield, due to which they created some very good chances. If it weren’t for Alisson’s heroics, it doesn’t seem like Liverpool would have walked away with a point from yesterday’s clash.
Following the departure of Fabinho and James Milner, Klopp does not have a single DM in his squad now. As a result, he was forced to play his new signing Dominik Szoboszlai as a DM yesterday. This clearly showed Liverpool’s vulnerability in the midfield, which Chelsea exploited in the second half. The ‘urgent need‘ to sign a DM has led Liverpool to offer a big amount for Lavia, which they were earlier reported to be hesitant about. They even hinted that they might be looking to move on from Lavia after their third bid was rejected. Reports suggested that they thought that any offer above £45m might be too much for Lavia. However, due to the situation that has panned out, Liverpool have straight away made an offer of £60m, to try and sign the Belgian midfielder as soon as possible.
A Massive Boost For Liverpool In This Deal?
Despite an agreement between Liverpool and Southampton, the deal is still not finalized, due to Chelsea’s pursue of Lavia. It was believed that Chelsea will not back down from this battle and make an improved bid for Roméo. However, the latest reports have informed that Chelsea have signed Moises Caicedo for a record fee of £115m, completing the big signing of their top target this summer. This, therefore, indicates that Chelsea might not go for Lavia now, as they have signed a DM now. This can, potentially, be a massive boost for Liverpool in this deal. With an agreement already in place and the possibility that Chelsea might back down, The Reds can complete the signing of Lavia before their next match, against Bournemouth on Saturday, 19th of August.
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