David Ornstein has taken to Twitter on Wednesday morning with a major transfer claim involving Romeo Lavia and Liverpool.
Tweeting a report from The Athletic that he co-wrote with his colleague James Pearce, the journalist stated: “Liverpool set to return with improved offer for Romeo Lavia. Southampton rejected ~£37m opening bid as they seek ~£50m package. High chance this deal gets done, although Chelsea retain firm interest.”
In the corresponding article, it’s claimed that ‘negotiations are ongoing’ and that there’s ‘an increasing likelihood of a deal being agreed’, with the possibility of add-ons enabling the Reds to come up with an offer which’ll be ‘acceptable’ to the south coast club.
This update may well be the most encouraging one so far regarding the possibility of Lavia becoming a Liverpool player this summer, and it’s one which’ll surely delight Reds supporters.
Ornstein’s claim that there’s a ‘high chance’ of the deal being done is perhaps the most positive assertion throughout all the time this transfer rumour has been circulating, especially when it’s come from a source as reliable as The Athletic reporter.
The allowance for the Reds to come up with a ‘package’ to bring the prospective deal to a value of £50m offers them the scope to part with slightly less than that amount initially, with the potential to bring it past the magic number set out by Southampton should certain add-ons be triggered.
After weeks of speculation, there now appears to be a sense of impending finality about Liverpool’s pursuit of Lavia.
It’ll still require the Merseysiders to present a second bid which’d satisfy the Saints, but with the player thought to be keen on the move and personal terms not an issue, it should simply come down to striking the right fee so that the deal can eventually get done.
You can see Ornstein’s tweet below, via @David_Ornstein on Twitter:
🚨 Liverpool set to return with improved offer for Romeo Lavia. Southampton rejected ~£37m opening bid as they seek ~£50m package. High chance this deal gets done, although Chelsea retain firm interest. W/ @JamesPearceLFC @TheAthleticFC #SaintsFC #LFC #CFC https://t.co/hXX59PZWrT
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) July 26, 2023
#Ep83 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones