Club resigned that their ‘incredible’ player is leaving with Liverpool actively trying to sign him

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Southampton have already accepted that Liverpool target Romeo Lavia will depart the club this summer.

Lavia has seemingly become the sole focus of Liverpool’s transfer window over the last week, as they look to complete their midfield rebuild.

And according to Sky Sports, Southampton are now ‘resigned’ to losing the 19-year-old.

However, that doesn’t mean they’ll let him go on the cheap. With the Reds reportedly joined by Arsenal and Chelsea in trying to sign Lavia, Saints are said to be ‘confident’ that they’ll receive their full £50m asking price. So far, no club has been willing to pay that, though.

From Liverpool’s point of view, they would reportedly need that valuation to take a ‘significant dent’ in order to make a move for the Belgian. The Reds are also claimed to be banking on Lavia stating Anfield as his preferred destination, in order to avoid a bidding war.

Nevertheless, the interest is said to be actively there for Liverpool. They reportedly see the Belgium international as being a ‘long-term anchor’ in their team. Let’s see where we go from here.

Southampton accept Lavia exit

It was never going to be realistic for Southampton to keep Lavia after falling into the Championship.

This was a player Pep Guardiola recently called ‘incredible’ [The Times]. That kind of player doesn’t belong in the second tier of any league system.

That being said, it seems inevitable that Saints will have to lower their expectations on the fee.

They may feel it’s value for money for a player who has a ridiculously high ceiling. In a market where the likes of Declan Rice are fetching over £100m, you could argue that £50m for a super talent is fair game. It obviously will also encourage them that there are a number of well-off suitors taking an interest in Lavia.

But there is a reason this trio of clubs are all yet to make a formal approach. As good as he is and possibly may become, Lavia has still only played one full season of top-flight football.

Some may feel that’s a reasonable sample size to gauge his potential. In truth, it probably is. However, £50m is not chump change, especially to Liverpool. In a summer where they can’t afford to get things wrong, the Reds are right to take their time here.

As the window goes on, perhaps Saints will come to another realisation – that the asking-price is too high.