Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth has outlined two stipulations from Southampton that Liverpool would likely have to meet if they’re to finally land the signing of Romeo Lavia.
The Reds have already seen three offers for the midfielder knocked back, the latest of which was worth £45m, with the Championship outfit continuing to demand a £50m deal for their player.
Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri claimed earlier today that the Saints expect the Merseyside club to come back with the additional £5m to get the move done, and he’s not the only one who can see the transfer eventually coming to fruition.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT on where things stand with the long-running Lavia saga, Sheth stated: “Talks are ongoing, so I think there’s a deal to be done there. The fact that Liverpool have made three bids would suggest that they desperately want to bring in the player.
“The latest bid was around £45million all in, including add-ons. Even though that’s only £5million short of what Southampton are standing firm on, we haven’t really got all the information on how that deal would have been structured.
“If Southampton are standing firm on £50million, they might actually have another caveat to say they want the majority of that £50million paid up front, followed by the performance-related add-ons.
“They would also want those performance-related add-ons to be achievable, but the fact that they’re still talking would imply that the deal is there to be done.”
From Sheth’s comments, it seems quite plausible that Liverpool will ultimately do enough to get a deal for Lavia over the line.
As the journalist rightly points out, it’s unlikely that the Reds would’ve submitted so many offers for the 19-year-old if he weren’t their prime target, and the gap between the latest bid and Southampton’s valuation is far from insurmountable.
If the Merseysiders are to go back with yet another offer for the Belgium international, the structure of the initial payment and prospective add-ons could be pivotal.
Should most of the fee arrive up front and the extras be reasonably attainable to take the eventual fee to (or past) the £50m mark, that could be enough to finally convince the Saints to do business with Liverpool.
It’s understandable that Southampton would want to get the best deal possible from their point of view if they’re to sell such a pivotal player, but at last it’s beginning to look like the Reds could bridge the gap to getting the transfer done.
Thank God the ember is on, we need him (lavia) if he has what it takes to replace fabinho. long live lfc. ywnwa.
What a debacle!