Liverpool could make a push to try and sign Romeo Lavia from Southampton in the coming days, according to Ben Jacobs.
The 19-year-old has been strongly linked with the Reds of late, with talkSPORT even reporting that the club are preparing an opening offer for him.
According to Football Insider, Jurgen Klopp’s side are willing to submit a bid of £40m for the 19-year-old, although the Saints will likely try to hold out for their asking price of £10m more.
Jacobs spoke to CaughtOffside’s Debrief podcast on Monday when he made the claim about potential movement in the next few days.
He stated: “I expect Liverpool to push this week to explore Romeo Lavia at Southampton, there are a few clubs interested, and you would think that there would be a cut-price deal available there because of Southampton’s relegation but the reality is they want around £50m.
“Liverpool are using a yardstick of £40m, which is actually the buy-back clause number available to Man City in 2024, so we know that once a player is around £30m to upwards of £45m, Liverpool see that as value.
“Soon as it goes over £50m they perhaps turn their attention to other targets, especially given the outlay on Szoboszlai.”
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Even with Southampton seemingly not for swaying in their £50m valuation for Lavia, it’s hard to imagine they won’t meet Liverpool somewhere in the middle if the Reds are prepared to stump up somewhere in the £40m-£45m bracket.
The Belgian, who was hailed by Pep Guardiola as an ‘incredible’ talent (mancity.com), enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in the Premier League last term, standing out as one of the Saints’ best performers in a dismal season which saw them relegated.
Naturally the south coast club don’t want to let him go for less than his perceived worth, although it’s difficult to see them refusing an offer of £40m or more if it’s put to them in the coming weeks.
If they can bankroll that by selling Lavia, it’d give Russell Martin plenty of financial muscle to bolster his squad ahead of the Championship campaign as Southampton target an immediate return to the top flight.
If Liverpool do press ahead with a bid this week, it seems likely they’ll pitch at around the £40m mark. The Saints could say no, but there’s every chance a subsequent improved offer may tempt them into doing business.
It promises to be an intriguing few weeks regarding the 19-year-old’s future.