Romeo Lavia could well be a Liverpool player by the time they face Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday.
As things stand, the Reds will head into that game without a recognised defensive midfielder. Having done a super job in the position on Monday, the expectation is that Alexis Mac Allister will continue on at Stamford Bridge.
But if journalist Graeme Bailey is to be believed, Jurgen Klopp could have a new option available for next Saturday’s game against Bournemouth. Speaking on the 90min Talking Transfers Podcast, Bailey said a deal for Lavia could be wrapped up by Sunday.
“I think the deal gets done, they’re only £5m apart now with add-ons,” says the journalist. “They [Southampton] want £50m including add-ons, so it’s a bit easier to get to than just £50m flat. Not far away. I think this one could be done by the weekend.
“I don’t think he’ll feature in that game [vs Chelsea] but I think he could be a Liverpool player by that point.”
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Liverpool pushing for Lavia agreement
Before Liverpool turn their attention to when Lavia could potentially play for them, they need to get the deal done with Southampton.
Although that doesn’t look too far away, it’s still got a big question mark over it. Despite the Reds knowing the asking price for Lavia throughout negotiations, they’ve so far failed to hit it. Until they do, it seems as though Saints won’t budge.
However, the 19-year-old being left out of the squad for last night’s loss against Gillingham is perhaps a good sign that things are moving.
There’s now really no excuse for Liverpool not getting it over the line.
In an ideal world, Lavia would have joined long before the Premier League opener on Sunday. Klopp likes to bed his players in and he would have wanted a player in such an important position to have full pre-season under his belt.
Nevertheless, Liverpool can’t afford to be choosy now. It may take Lavia a little while longer to get up to speed for the Reds, but the alternative is that they play a season without any defensive midfield specialist at all.
While Mac Allister did well in the role and Curtis Jones has done fine too, Klopp needs a proper Fabinho replacement. Lavia could be that man, and it looks like he’s almost ours. One last push, Reds.