Despite Liverpool reaching an agreement over a £60 million move with Southampton for midfielder Romeo Lavia, the Belgian has now opted to join Chelsea instead.
According to The Athletic‘s David Ornstein, Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia has decided to snub Liverpool to join Chelsea.
It is yet another huge blow for Jurgen Klopp’s side’s search for a defensive midfielder this summer after Moises Caicedo spurned Liverpool for Chelsea in a similar manner just over 24 hours.
In the nail-biting pursuit of Caicedo that saw Liverpool having a bid worth £111 million agreed by Brighton, only to be turned down by the player, the future of Southampton youngster Lavia became a sideshow.
Brighton ultimately agreed a British record £115 million package with Chelsea to sell Caicedo, which leaves Liverpool in an even more desperate search for a defensive midfielder following the unexpected departures of Fabinho and captain Jordan Henderson in favour of sunnier and more lucrative climes in Saudi Arabia.
Liverpool had attempted to negotiate Southampton below their £50 million price tag with bids of £37 million, £41 million, and £46 million. After losing the Caicedo race, the Reds turned their attention back to Lavia on Sunday night, but the Reds found themselves rivalling the Blues for the Belgium international in a big twist.
Roméo Lavia decides to join Chelsea as next club and step for his career. It has been communicated to Southampton — ready to close deal between clubs 🚨🔵
Chelsea are prepared to pay £50m fixed fee plus add-ons, as @David_Ornstein reported.#CFC want it done by Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/w4kvQRWBOF
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 14, 2023
Chelsea‘s unexpected, increased interest in the 19-year-old initially looked to be more of a transfer war tactic as the London outfit competed with their Premier League rivals for another player of common interest.
Monday morning brought updates that Liverpool have finally agreed a fee with Southampton for Romeo Lavia worth a package of around £60 million, which was significantly more than they had hoped for the teenager following Chelsea‘s interest, and was also inflated by the fact that Liverpool have now shown their hand with a potential British-record bid for Caicedo.
That was a source of frustration among supporters, as the Reds were thought to be negotiating a lower price for a youngster who would have profited from some pre-season minutes under his belt and a longer settling-in time under Jurgen Klopp’s system.
In a shocking piece of news this evening, Lavia has also decided to join Chelsea instead of Liverpool, following Caicedo to Stamford Bridge, according to The Athletic.
The Saints’ are set to accept an imminent offer from Chelsea for their star midfielder worth an initial £50 million plus add-ons, and Liverpool have been made aware of the player’s choice.
It seems as though the Reds’ decision to rival Chelsea for Caicedo appears to have backfired so spectacularly that they have no idea what hit them. The scattergun approach means they have now lost both of their top targets for the No. 6 position.
They will now need to dust themselves down and move on to alternative avenues once again. Crystal Palace‘s Cheikh Doucoure, Nice’s Khephren Thuram, and Borussia Monchengladbach’s Manu Kone were among those linked earlier in the transfer window. Whether they would reignite interest in any of the aforementioned names remains to be seen, but without a doubt, this double sucker punch in the transfer market would be a bitter pill to swallow for the Reds.
