Liverpool could make opening offer of £30m to sign ‘incredible’ player – journalist

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Liverpool’s opening offer for Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia could be somewhere between £30-35m.

The Reds have seemingly made Lavia their top transfer target for the remainder of the window. But with Saints reportedly holding out for £50m to sell the 19-year-old, things are yet to progress.

And according to journalist Ben Jacobs for CaughtOffside it could stay that way for some time yet.

“Liverpool will likely add another midfielder and Romeo Lavia is quite high on the list of options,” Jacobs says. “Lavia would be keen on the move, but price is currently a stumbling block. Southampton want £50m for Lavia and Liverpool don’t see him as being worth anywhere near that much.

“It’s the same for Arsenal and Chelsea. Those two clubs are focused elsewhere for now, but can’t be ruled out. Arsenal want to understand if Thomas Partey will leave. And Chelsea are exploring Brighton’s Moises Caicedo with near-daily talks.

“This is why Southampton are being so firm on price for now. They feel if they wait a little then more suitors may emerge and then they’ll get a bidding war.”

Liverpool holding out for Lavia deal

Unwilling to pay the full £50m, Jacobs claims that Liverpool are instead using £40m as a ‘top-end yard-stick’ for Lavia.

“Liverpool view Lavia’s £40m buyback clause – active in 2024 for Manchester City only – as a kind of top-end yardstick for valuation,” he explains. “And given Southampton have been relegated, and Lavia is open to a move, it wouldn’t surprise me if starting offers, should they arrive, were more around the low or mid-£30m mark.

“So it’s fair to say Liverpool’s interest is genuine, but there has been no offer yet and there won’t be unless Southampton drop their price.

“Liverpool generally only move on their terms and timescale. The recruitment team at Anfield are extremely smart and read the market well. That’s why I think Liverpool are in for an extremely productive window.”

In ordinary circumstances, we’d agree with the Reds valuation for Lavia. Pep Guardiola recently called him ‘incredible’ [The Times], but he’s still very young. However, City’s £40m buy-back in 12 months time should also be taken into account. Without that, Liverpool would be absolutely within their rights to expect to get the Belgian for under that amount.

But the fact that Southampton are likely to be able to get £40m up until next summer gives them something to fall back on. Their message will be clear: pay a premium on the clause or risk losing out on the player. Given everything, they have a relatively strong hand, unless Lavia really forces a move.

As a result, we hope that Liverpool have a back-up option on their list. Lavia is at present the only name really being mentioned. But if the Reds think he’s too expensive, they’ll surely have someone else to turn to. Let’s see who blinks first here.