Liverpool hold definite talks for Southampton star Romeo Lavia
According to Florian Plettenberg on Twitter, Premier League giants Liverpool are currently holding concrete talks with Southampton star Romeo Lavia ahead of a potential transfer in the current summer window.
The 19-year-old has been a rare shining light in what has been an otherwise forgetful season at St Mary’s. The Saints suffered the embarrassment of relegation and now look set to lose one of their best players to Premier League sides.
Jurgen Klopp and Co are very keen on the Belgian and remain very interested in securing his services. Lavia remains a key target in their summer rebuild and talks are currently ongoing.
As things stand, negotiations are ongoing but an agreement regarding wages is far from agreed on. With the team assembling for pre-season this weekend, it remains to be seen if the Reds will ramp up their efforts before flying out to Germany later this month.
Talks between Liverpool & #Lavia are concrete and ongoing.
🔴 Understand there is no agreement in terms of salary conditions yet. #LFC
➡️ As reported: His price tag is around £50m
➡️ Klopp wants him!ℹ️: Very press resistant player – even in high pressure situations, he… pic.twitter.com/sFCxiFP7UR
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) July 9, 2023
Doing so will give them a leg up in terms of integrating Lavia into their style. It should give them the advantage in terms of deploying him when the season kicks off in August.
The Reds have already signed Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai this summer and are looking at a new midfield heading into the 2023-24 season. Making sure all the players are well aware of their roles in the system is necessary for them to succeed as a unit and Klopp will want to make the most of pre-season to ensure just that.
In Mac Allister, the Reds have a ball carrier while Szoboszlai is a more dynamic attacker who can add goals and assists from the midfield. What they need is a ball-winner who can also retain possession when under duress. Fabinho has regressed while Stefan Bajcetic is still too inexperienced.
Lavia is not older than the Reds youngster but certainly has more experience in the top flight. More so, the Belgian excels in the areas aforementioned and will balance out the roles played by his new teammates.
Southampton remain adamant that the asking price will remain at £50m, a figure that Liverpool are unwilling to meet. Klopp certainly is keen on the player and a lot should depend on who blinks first.