Romeo Lavia is understood to have given his approval to a possible Premier League move this summer, although it isn’t to Liverpool.
The Reds have been strongly linked with the Southampton midfielder but so far they’ve been unwilling to meet his reported £50m asking price, despite the player seemingly indicating that his preference would be to move to Anfield.
However, Football Insider have now claimed that Arsenal are preparing a move for the 19-year-old and are ready to push hard to sign him, with the Belgian himself giving a thumbs-up to potentially joining the Gunners.
The report states: ‘Lavia is believed to be a big fan of Mikel Arteta and has given the green light to the move following positive conversations with the London club.’
Even with Arsenal recently splashing out £105m on Declan Rice (BBC Sport), they seem determined to land another prospective midfield recruit in Lavia, with their circumstances not wholly dissimilar to Liverpool’s.
Just as Fabinho could possibly be leaving Anfield, the Gunners may see Thomas Partey also departing for Saudi Arabia, with the Ghanaian believed to have agreed terms with a club in the Middle Eastern country.
It remains to be seen just what the Southampton midfielder eventually decides as to whether he’d rather go to Anfield or the Emirates Stadium, but even if he opts for the latter, the Reds appear to have their fingers in several other pies.
Florentino Luis, Cheick Doucoure, Joao Palhinha, Sofyan Amrabat, Ryan Gravenberch and Kalvin Phillips have all been named as potential targets for Liverpool as they seemingly prepare for the eventuality of the Brazil international leaving Merseyside.
All of those are older than Lavia, and some could potentially cost less than the Saints’ reported asking price, so Jurgen Klopp need not be too downhearted if the Belgian youngster ultimately opts for Arsenal – we’ll just have to wait and see what transpires over the next few weeks.
#Ep80 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: Fabinho & Jordan Henderson… going, going, gone?🎙️
wow amazing…..💵💵💵💵