Sacha Tavolieri has reported that Liverpool are hoping to meet Southampton in the middle and land Romeo Lavia for £40m.
The journalist’s update preceded the Merseysiders’ £37m bid for the 19-year-old, with the Saints soundly rejecting the club’s first offer.
“They already get all their plans into their idea because as I told you, they already took the information before of being in that situation,” the Belgian journalist told The Redmen TV.
“They are going to make an official bid close to £35m. What Liverpool think can happen is they make the deal at £40m.
“They want to make everyone pleased. Southampton is really open.
“The player was really annoyed because he was waiting for finally Liverpool to move. Because they were lacking some details in terms of personal terms. But yes, the player has chosen – he was convinced by Klopp.
“He gave the green light already, I think a week or something like this ago.”
Jurgen Klopp’s men are, of course, expected to return with a fresh attempt ahead of Fabinho’s potentially impending departure.
Should the Brazilian’s move be called off, however, amid a delay in the deal being finalised, Liverpool could yet be forced to seek out an alternative exit route.
The MLS has, in recent years, offered a lucrative way out for players seeking one final big paycheck to end their careers on, with Lionel Messi the latest high-profile name to make the trip to North America.
Whilst we wouldn’t bet on our former Monaco midfielder making the switch to the North American top-flight, fans are more than welcome to engage in a spot of MLS betting in what should be an even more exciting season following Messi’s arrival.
One option that we’d be remiss to avoid mentioning is the possibility of Fabinho helping ease Lavia into regular minutes should his move to Saudi Arabia be called off.
It’s perhaps one eventuality that won’t appeal to swathes of the fanbase given that the 29-year-old has very clearly made his bed and opted not to commit to taking us back to the peak of our powers.
Still, it can’t be forgotten that, at his very best, our specialist No.6 is one of the leading holding midfielders in world football – never mind the English top-flight.
Handing over the reins to Lavia, were Liverpool to successfully meet Southampton’s demands in the market and capture his signature, would represent a huge risk, not to mention even more seismic pressure loaded onto the shoulders of a developing talent.
It’s a situation we’d imagine Jurgen Klopp and the coaching staff would likewise be highly uncomfortable approving.
On the other hand, if Fabinho can hold down the fort and allow us to control our potential third summer signing’s minutes throughout the upcoming campaign, we could have our potential first-choice holding midfielder ready to stake a claim for regular minutes toward the end of the season.
Should we fail to keep hold of the Brazilian, we simply can’t see the club entering the next term in good conscience without first investing in a more seasoned holding midfielder to take the pressure off Lavia’s shoulders.
It’ll be highly interesting to witness how this all pans out exactly, but either way, Liverpool must put their money where their mouth is to ensure 2023/24 doesn’t become another write-off.
You can catch the full clip below, courtesy of The Redmen TV:
"Make the deal at £40million." 💰@sachatavolieri says #LFC are hopeful they will land Romeo Lavia 🇧🇪
Liverpool to make ‘official’ bid for Lavia | Transfer Insight w/Sacha Tavolieri
Available now on Redmen Plus 🔴 pic.twitter.com/u8gN11i180
— The Redmen TV (@TheRedmenTV) July 25, 2023
#Ep83 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones