Liverpool are reportedly abandoning the pursuit of Nice’s Khephren Thuram this summer, with Romeo Lavia appearing to be the top priority.
CBS Sports’ Ben Jacobs tweeted on Tuesday morning that the decision was not inspired by the Frenchman’s price-tag, whilst Sacha Tavolieri was also ready with some positive news on talks between club and player on the platform.
🔴 #LiverpoolFC set to focus now their energies on Romeo Lavia’s deal. I understand talks on players side are advancing well as the green light’s close but nothing done yet. The ideal projection #LFC would be to get him for the first summer camp with the team.
The Reds -that… pic.twitter.com/q5aJxplniI— Sacha Tavolieri (@sachatavolieri) July 4, 2023
With Southampton allegedly holding out for £45m (Jacob Steinberg), whilst Thuram could cost as little as £34.3m (according to Jacque Talbot), it would seem that the club has finally decided on its ideal final addition to the middle of the park.
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Switching from a target with more top-flight experience in Thuram (22) to a 19-year-old in Lavia, however, might raise a few eyebrows within the fanbase.
We have a general tendency to recruit talent with a serious number of games under their belt before making the switch to a more high-pressure environment.
The ‘monster’ (as described by the Independent’s Benjy Nurick) Southampton youngster, whilst no doubt extremely talented if a recent conversation Empire of the Kop held with Jacob Tanswell is anything to go by, represents less of an instant hit as his Nice counterpart could be.
That said, we can’t ignore the Belgian’s recent Premier League experience (even if it indeed culminated in relegation for the Saints), which will have aided his maturity in English football.
Likewise, we can’t assume that first-choice Fabinho is ready to be consigned to the dustbin of history after a poor campaign in which mitigating factors were present.