Chelsea could reportedly bin off the pursuit of one transfer target in order to try and hijack Liverpool’s move for Romeo Lavia.
That’s according to Football Insider, who claimed that the west London club may be better placed than the Reds to lodge an offer closer to Southampton’s £50m asking price for the Belgian.
Such is the Blues’ apparent determination to win the race for the 19-year-old that they’re even prepared to abandon a move for Moises Caicedo in order to prioritise the Saints starlet.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side have had a third bid (worth £80m) rejected by Brighton for the Ecuadorian, for whom talks have hit a stumbling block.
There was always a possibility that Chelsea could seek to outbid Liverpool for Lavia, with the Stamford Bridge outfit repeatedly demonstrating a willingness to spend big on transfers, having lashed out more than £600m in less than three full transfer windows under Todd Boehly (Daily Express).
Even if the Reds still appear to be in the driving seat to win this particular transfer race (Mark Wyatt, via The Redmen TV), they must be wary of the Blues’ track record for readily outspending domestic rivals in order to get the players they want, as they showed when pipping Arsenal to Mykhailo Mudryk.
However, a reliable reporter in Sacha Tavolieri has stated that Anfield is still the likeliest destination for the 19-year-old, who’s believed to be convinced by the project at LFC.
It could be touch-and-go between Liverpool and Chelsea in the chase for Lavia right up until he makes his final decision and is officially unveiled as a player of either club, but we remain confident that the player’s apparent preference for the Reds will see us win the transfer battle.
The Blues only seem to be prioritising him now that they’re getting frustrated in their pursuit of Caicedo, whereas the Belgian has appeared to be the Merseysiders’ priority for the last few weeks, something which probably won’t be lost in the Southampton starlet.
#Ep83 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones