Liverpool ‘prepare opening offer’ for £50m Arsenal target as Chelsea ignore recommendation
Liverpool are ‘preparing an opening offer’ for Southampton star Romeo Lavia in a bid to beat both Arsenal and Chelsea to the Southampton star.
Lavia joined the Saints from Manchester City for just £11m last summer but was the subject of a £50m deadline day bid from Chelsea in the same window having scored against the Blues in a 2-1 victory in August.
Southampton rejected that offer but will accept a bid of the same amount this summer having been relegated to the Championship.
City have a £45m buyback clause for Lavia but that won’t be activated until next summer, and Liverpool want to steal a march on Pep Guardiola’s side, along with Arsenal and Chelsea, who have also been heavily linked with the 19-year-old.
TalkSPORT claim the Reds have ‘moved ahead of Chelsea’ in the race for Lavia and are ‘preparing an opening bid’ to bring him to Anfield.
The report claims Chelsea’s co-director of recruitment and talent Joe Shields, who got Lavia to Southampton before moving to Chelsea in October, recommended Lavia to new manager Mauricio Pochettino.
But the Blues are ‘looking at other targets to strengthen their midfield’, with Brighton star Moises Caicedo their top target to play alongside Enzo Fernandez.
Lavia would join Alexis Mac Allister, who signed from Brighton for £35m, and Dominik Szoboszlai, who has arrived from RB Leipzig for £60m, as midfield recruits for Liverpool this summer.
Jurgen Klopp has urged the Liverpool fans to be “patient” when it comes to Szoboszlai.
“There is no pressure, though. Dominik is still a very young player,” Klopp said.
“He has so much development ahead of him and this means it makes sense for us all to be patient and to give him the time and space to allow his talent to come through within our team.
“The good thing is we have supporters who understand this process. I know the fans are as excited as we are but I am also aware, because I have seen it many times already, that they will be a massive help to us in terms of creating the conditions that will allow Dominik to thrive.
“From the clubs he has been at, the leagues he has played in and the family he is part of, it is very clear that he has already had an outstanding football education, so our responsibility now is to continue this education with him as part of the Liverpool family.
“Everything about this is good news and I am very grateful to everyone at the club who has contributed to making it happen. This is a signing for our present and also for our future and the work that has gone into it could not be more appreciated.”
READ MORE: Klopp transfer tactic becomes clear as Liverpool sample £60m Szoboszlai before signing him
