Summary
Chelsea have been dealt a blow in the race for Romeo Lavia, as Liverpool are "relatively positive" about convincing Southampton to sell the midfielder to them this summer according to Ben Jacobs.
The Belgian midfielder looks set to depart St Mary's after one season.
What is the latest news on Romeo Lavia?
The Merseyside club looks set to accelerate their pursuit of the youngster in the coming days.
That is due to two key sales being finalised recently. England international and former club captain Jordan Henderson has left the Reds after 12 years at the club to join former teammate Steven Gerrard at Saudi Arabian side Al Ettifaq in a deal worth an initial £12m. The other departure was Brazilian Fabinho, who called time on his five-year spell at the club to join Saudi side Al Ittihad in a deal worth a reported £40m.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool will bid again for Romeo Lavia after seeing their opening offer worth £37m turned down by the South Coast side. It is reported that the second offer will be closer to the Saints £50m asking price, with the Italian journalist stating that the second offer will be £42.5m guaranteed and £2.5m add ons. The players has reportedly given the green light to the move and personal terms are not expected to be an issue.
The midfielder, who has been hailed as "exquisite", is reportedly manager Jurgen Klopp's prime midfield transfer target this summer following the arrivals of Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton and Hove Albion as well as Hungarian Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig. There could be a late twist, however, with Football Insider reporting that Chelsea are planning a late hijack for the 19-year-old after seeing a fourth bid rejected for midfielder Moises Caicedo. The report states that Chelsea would be willing to offer closer to the asking price, with the Blues having held an interest in the midfielder since last summer when they saw a £50m offer rejected by Southampton after his Man of the Match performance against the Blues.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jacobs revealed that due to the midfielder's desire to make the switch to Anfield, Liverpool are growing increasingly optimistic about completing the move: "Liverpool are preparing another offer, which will be over £40million, and the feeling is relatively positive that there is a deal there to be had. There is some Chelsea interest at this point, but it may become strong, especially with Moises Caicedo talks not moving as fast as they would like. But the key point in all this is that Lavia wants Liverpool. Knowing the player's desire, Liverpool have got more confidence. Now it's about agreeing a package with Southampton."
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How will Chelsea respond to missing out on Lavia?
The club already have a number of ways to potentially respond.
The Blues remain in talks for Caicedo with the hope of reaching an agreement soon, however there are other names on the Blues shortlist this summer, with Leeds United's Tyler Adams, Ajax's Edson Alvarez and Celta Vigo's Gabri Veiga all being considered by the Blues.
The USA international reportedly has a release clause that became active the moment the Yorkshire side dropped into the Championship, and despite the clubs desire to keep the defensive midfielder at Elland Road, Adams has reportedly stated his desire to leave the club this summer in order to continue to play at the highest level, and is also the subject of interest from Aston Villa and West Ham United.
Alvarez is also being targeted by West Ham as they look to replace club captain Declan Rice who recently joined Arsenal in a deal worth £105m. The Blues were heavily interested in the Mexican last summer, however a move never materialised. According to Ornstein, the Dutch club have set a price tag of £35-40m on the midfielder. Alvarez's teammate Mohamed Kudus is another target for the Blues, with reports stating that the club have held discussions with both Ajax and the players representatives. However, a move may not come to fruition with the player reportedly preferring a move to the Gunners.
Gabri Veiga has been linked with a number of clubs this window after a strong campaign with his boyhood club Celta Vigo where he managed 11 goals and 4 assists in 36 La Liga games. The midfielder has a release clause of around £34m but no club has activated it yet, opening the door for Maurcio Pochettino and Chelsea to swoop in.