‘One source has told’: Sky suggests Chelsea are keeping eye on ‘incredible’ player after Liverpool launch bid

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Chelsea are keeping an eye on Romeo Lavia.

That’s according to Sky Sports, who have reported that the Blues are monitoring the Southampton midfielder’s situation after Liverpool launched a bid for his signature.

The Saints paid an initial £10.5 million to lure Lavia from Manchester City last summer, but the teenager’s spectacular performance as they were relegated to the Championship has dramatically driven his price up.

Lavia even received praise from his former boss Pep Guardiola who admitted his ‘incredible’ opinion of his former player in April, though Man City remain out of the race to re-sign their academy graduate.

Liverpool are eager to replace the outgoing Fabinho with Lavia and the report claims that they launched a £35m bid plus add-ons for the 19-year-old, which was immediately turned down.

Russell Martin’s side are believed to demand around £50m for Lavia, while the Belgian is thought to have already agreed personal terms with the Reds and is keen to move to Merseyside.

Speaking to Sky Sports, journalist Dharmesh Sheth said: “The bidding for Romeo Lavia looks to have started because we understand Southampton have rejected a bid from Liverpool worth about £40m.

“We think it’s around £35m guaranteed payment plus the rest in add ons, but it has been turned down. We think Southampton are after close to £50m for the very talented midfielder.

“One source has also told us that Chelsea are keen on Lavia as well and are just keeping an eye on his situation, Southampton though want big money for him.”

Liverpool will face a huge stumbling block if Chelsea make a concrete move for the youngster. The London outfit reportedly had their own £50m bid rejected for Lavia back in September and they may now reignite their interest.

Liverpool need to get the Romeo Lavia deal wrapped up before Chelsea jump in

Chelsea seem to thrive off hijacking transfer deals following Todd Boehly’s arrival, having swiped Mykhalo Mudryk from underneath Arsenal’s feet last summer.

The Blues are watching Liverpool’s advances from a distance and could pounce at anytime, but the Reds certainly don’t want to risk their rivals getting involved.

Chelsea have spent hundreds of millions over the last few transfer windows and will undoubtedly be willing to outbid Jurgen Klopp‘s side if they decide to make a move for Lavia.

Liverpool need to act fast and get a deal wrapped up before they can intervene, while their pursuit of Moises Caicedo may be the only thing stopping them.