Liverpool could table a second transfer offer for Romeo Lavia ‘very soon’, according to journalist Graeme Bailey.
He was speaking on the Talking Transfers Podcast a few days after the Reds’ first bid of £37m was rejected by Southampton, who reportedly want £50m for the midfielder (The Athletic).
Some sources have indicated that the Merseysiders could potentially clinch the deal within the next week, despite other reports of Chelsea hoping to gazump Jurgen Klopp’s side with their own approach for the 19-year-old.
Bailey told the podcast: “What we’re hearing is that the second bid will come in very soon. Southampton are holding out for £50m; sources around the deal think it might get done for slightly less.
“Yeah, Liverpool are firm favourites; there is speculation that Lavia has said it’s Liverpool or nothing. I am told that isn’t true.”
As Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri seemed to hint via Twitter on Friday night, Liverpool could simply be waiting to finalise Fabinho’s exit to Al-Ittihad before they hit the accelerator on their pursuit of Lavia.
The impending sale of the Brazilian is expected to yield £40m (The Athletic), which should give the Reds a timely top-up to their transfer budget and could pave the way for an improved offer to Southampton for the Belgium international.
Jurgen Klopp won’t want to wait too long for a second bid to go in, considering that other suitors like Chelsea appear to be lurking and could pounce on any hesitation or inactivity from the Merseysiders.
Bailey’s claim that Lavia could potentially be obtained for ‘slightly less’ than £50m should make it easier for Liverpool to bridge the gap between the amount of their first offer and a figure that the Saints will deem acceptable.
There may still be some significant hurdles to overcome, but the next few days should give a strong indicator as to whether or not the Reds will ultimately get their man. If they can entice Southampton with their next bid, that should go a long way towards hopefully getting the deal done soon.
#Ep83 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones
Please just get it done, because anybody else thinks that Curtis Jones is the answer is in bloody Cuckoo land, that includes a guy have a lot of time for the legendJohn Aldridge
He was an average player in a rubbish team that finished bottom of the league, Liverpool have plenty of young midfielders who are miles better, don’t waste your money!
I feel you are right. We underate our own players. If TAA was in big team like Real Madrid can Liverpool afford to buy him?