Liverpool could be set for further frustration in their pursuit of Romeo Lavia, with Southampton appearing to raise their asking price in the wake of increased interest in the player.
The Reds have already seen bids of £37m and £41m rejected, with the Saints having been holding out for £50m, and there could soon be an even bigger gap for the Anfield club to try and bridge.
According to the Daily Record, the south coast outfit are now ‘confident of achieving a fee in excess of £60m for Lavia amidst competing interest from Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United’.
Prior to the second bid being tabled yesterday, there seemed to be plenty of optimism that Liverpool would conjure up the few extra million to sign Lavia.
However, with that follow-up offer being promptly dismissed by Southampton, and the 19-year-old’s valuation now potentially rising by 20% as his club move the goalposts, the narrative now looks rather different.
There was a school of thought that the Saints were holding out for a sizeable fee in the hope of a bidding war ensuing, and they now seem to have one with as many as four clubs reportedly interested in the teenager.
That Liverpool have also turned their attention to Andre Trindade of Fluminense, who could be available for a comparatively meagre £21.6m, indicates that they’re now thinking beyond Lavia and prepared to have a Plan B if the Belgian simply proves too expensive.
It’s been a very frustrating 24 hours for the Reds in their pursuit of the Southampton midfielder, and if the Championship outfit are now going to demand £60m for him, we’ll soon discover just how much Jurgen Klopp wants him at Anfield, depending on how much our next offer will be (if there is one).
#Ep83 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones