Liverpool are preparing to make a third and ‘ultimate’ offer to try and sign Romeo Lavia from Southampton.
That’s according to Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri, who took to Twitter on Wednesday evening with an update on the Reds’ pursuit of the midfielder, for whom they’ve already had two bids turned down.
It seems that the Merseysiders will try once more to convince the Saints to do business, with the player keen on a move to Anfield but needing his club to agree a fee with the prospective buyers.
Tavolieri tweeted: “#LiverpoolFC ready to make a third & ultimate offer for Romeo Lavia. I understand the bid will meet the 40M£ transfer fee expectations by #SaintsFC + add-ons. Player’s side just waiting for #LFC to activate but informed the club his desire to join the Reds.
“There’s a feeling that Klopp’s team are the only squad able to do such offer at that moment. Dialogue remains open as #SouthamptonFC won’t let leave his biggest sale of the year with the financial impact of a relegation. Deal still ON.”
After Liverpool saw their second offer of £41m rejected and entered into talks with Fluminense for Andre Trindade, it looked as if the Lavia pursuit may have been faltering, particularly when reports emerged of Southampton being confident they could get as much as £60m for him due to the level of interest.
The Saints have wanted £50m all along, so the Reds will almost certainly need to reach that figure with their next bid, even if it’s with the prospective add-ons included.
Tavolieri’s tweet suggests they could meet that threshold, though, and his assertion that only Jurgen Klopp’s side seem able or willing to go that high indicates that they’re the clear favourites to win the race for the Belgian’s signature.
All Lavia and his entourage can do is wait for Liverpool to submit their next offer and see how Southampton respond. We get the sense that the third bid will be decisive one way or the other and that this transfer saga will reach a conclusion soon.
You can see Tavolieri’s tweet below, via @sachatavolieri on Twitter:
🔴🇧🇪 #LiverpoolFC ready to make a third & ultimate offer for Romeo Lavia. I understand the bid will meet the 40M£ transfer fee expectations by #SaintsFC + add-ons. Player’s side just waiting for #LFC to activate but informed the club his desire to join the Reds. There’s a feeling… pic.twitter.com/7KH2c7mbTS
— Sacha Tavolieri (@sachatavolieri) August 2, 2023
#Ep83 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones
Imho – ideally we need the following:-
2 of either Lavia/Andre/Gravenberch/Thuram
AND
1 of either Schuurs/Inácio
if we want to compete. The lesson of 3 seasons ago needs to be learnt.