Liverpool have reportedly agreed on personal terms with Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia.
Are Liverpool signing Romeo Lavia?
The Reds and Jurgen Klopp have already splashed the cash on two new midfielders so far this summer, with Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai arriving from Brighton and RB Leipzig respectively. Mac Allister was the first through the door at an initial cost of £35m, whereas Szoboszlai was more expensive at £60m.
It doesn’t look as if the club plan on stopping there when it comes to midfield additions, though, especially as James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita all departed on free transfers over the summer, whereas Jordan Henderson and Fabinho are poised to move to Saudi Arabia.
Lavia, who made the move to Southampton from Manchester City last summer, has emerged as a real target in recent weeks, however, they could be rivalled by Premier League rivals Arsenal and Chelsea.
According to journalist Sacha Tavolieri on Tuesday, the Reds have now agreed on personal terms with Lavia, who was actually getting “annoyed” with those at Anfield as he felt a potential deal was “dragging”.
“Liverpool FC finally starts the talks with Southampton for Romeo Lavia! Belgian midfielder’s side just agreed on personal terms. These days, Romeo Lavia was waiting for the green light of LFC Board and was a little annoyed that it was dragging… It moved now!
“First official bid to be send soon by the Reds. I understand Reds wants to start with an offer close to £35M… Wait & See.”
Since then, it has been reported that Liverpool have made an opening offer of £40m for the Belgian, however, the Saints have turned that down and are holding out for a fee closer to £50m, with the Reds expected to make an improved bid.
Who is Romeo Lavia?
Lavia, labelled as a "10/10 talent" by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, is 19 years of age and is primarily a defensive midfielder who can also play slightly further forward in a central midfield role. His Transfermarkt valuation has rocketed from €2m to a career-high €32m over the past 12 months following an impressive first season on the south coast where he made 34 appearances in all competitions.
Journalist Jacob Tanswell certainly feels Lavia is worth a £50m fee after watching him during his first Premier League season, saying:
“Regarding Romeo Lavia. Watched every minute of him last season and heard a lot about him. If LFC really want him, they should absolutely pay the £50 million. He is that good. Saints can wait as he's one of the few – if not only – player who has retained their market PL value.”
As per FBref over the past 12 months, Lavia has ranked highly in the defensive side of the game and is in the top 4% of midfielders for blocks, top 9% for passes blocked.
He averages 7.58 ball recoveries per 90, with all three attributes named considerably higher than Fabinho. Therefore, you could argue that the Saints man could be a shrewd addition both in the short and long run in the No.6 role, but Liverpool may need to up their offer to Southampton despite personal terms already being agreed.