Manchester City fear has Liverpool scrambling to sign £40m player

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Manchester City’s buyback clause for Romeo Lavia reportedly has Liverpool scrambling to sign the Southampton midfielder.

According to the Telegraph, the Cityzens £40m buyback clause for the Belgian, which isn’t due to activate until 2024, has helped spur Liverpool on to complete a deal for Lavia, with a second bid expected from the Reds soon.

Jurgen Klopp’s side have made Lavia their prime midfield target to replace both Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, with talks ongoing as Liverpool prepare to make what could be their final offer for the Southampton talent.

With City selling Lavia to Southampton last summer, it was always likely that Pep Guardiola’s side would have included a buyback clause just in case the teenager caught fire in the Premier League.

And the midfielder did just that, becoming one of the best young prospects in the division and attracting mass summer interest this year from Arsenal, Chelsea and of course Liverpool, who are close to landing the Belgian.

Indeed, City’s interest in Lavia remains dormant ahead of 2024, yet their £40m buyback clause has seemingly played a role in Liverpool acting as fast as they have been this week to secure the 19-year-old’s signature.

Liverpool realistically had nothing to fear from City over Lavia

City are always going to be a force in the transfer market, yet Guardiola’s tactics are as clear as day by this point, with Liverpool realistically fearing nothing from their rivals in the pursuit of Lavia.

As we know, City push hard for players they are interested in, and whilst there is that buyback clause that activates next year, the Manchester side have hardly been linked with a move for Lavia this summer.

As a result, Liverpool have plenty of time to get their business in order, and all the hard work now looks set to be completed this week, with an offer likely to be accepted for Lavia.