Liverpool are reportedly set to agree a deal for Romeo Lavia to the tune of £30.9m plus £7.7m in add-ons.
This comes courtesy of ‘chief football scout’ Jan Riha (at 11Hacks) who shared the update in question on Twitter.
Liverpool will get Lavia done for around €36m + €9m add-ons, slightly overpay for the potential and a massive need in the squad.
Will be really interesting to see whether they get a senior DM and LCB in afterwards.
— Jan Říha (@HonzaRihaftbl) July 25, 2023
This comes amid a potential u-turn of epic proportions with regard to Fabinho’s expected exit from Anfield, with David Ornstein of The Athletic reporting that delays in the deal with Al-Ittihad could put the move in jeopardy.
READ MORE: Two things set to happen once Fabinho & Henderson transfers finalised – opinion
READ MORE: Klopp could save Liverpool millions with surprise in-house midfield fix
A deal totally close to £40m, once add-ons are taken into account, would still have to be considered a coup for the club given the original figure of £50m being touted – not to mention Manchester City’s buyback clause of £40m.
That said, with Southampton having already rejected a fee worth £37m for the talented teenager, it seems Liverpool will have to test the water further with a raised bid.
With such a limited pool of available talent in the No.6 role – not to mention the clear gap in our squad – it looks a tough deal to negotiate down from the Saints’ asking price.
Perhaps we’ll find a way, yet, though it’s one situation we can’t afford to grapple with over the next three weeks. Especially not if it all comes down to an extra £10m.
#Ep83 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones