Summary
Liverpool target Romeo Lavia will be 'joining' the club this summer from Southampton, in the opinion of Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor, who is confident that a deal will get concluded that will see the Belgium international move to Anfield.
Is Romeo Lavia going to Liverpool?
According to BBC Sport, Liverpool have seen their latest bid of £46 million plus add-ons turned down for Lavia by Southampton as the Sky Bet Championship outfit continue to seek £50 million for the 19-year-old before agreeing to sanction his departure.
Lavia was an unused substitute for Southampton in their opening-day victory over Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough last week and speculation continues to swirl regarding his future.
Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher has taken to Twitter X to voice his frustration over the lack of progress made regarding Lavia, stating: "This is embarrassing. Liverpool for years now have got deals done quickly with no fuss. If you don’t think he’s worth 50M move on, if you really want him pay it. Also not sure why LFC aren’t in for Caicedo, yes it’s a lot of money but Liverpool got big money for JH/FAB."
Last term, Lavia made 34 appearances in all competitions for Southampton and impressed despite their eventual relegation, registering one goal and one assist in the process, as per Transfermarkt.
Arsenal and Chelsea have also held discussions with Lavia regarding a potential transfer this window, though it remains to be seen whether they will rival Liverpool by firming up their interest in the starlet.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Daily Express journalist Taylor thinks that Liverpool will eventually get a deal for Lavia over the line at Anfield.
"It's hard to say in the transfer window because as we've seen so many times in the past, something can happen out of the blue within the space of an hour.
"My personal opinion is that if Lavia is to leave Southampton, he's going to be joining Liverpool. I think negotiations are already, I don't want to say advanced as in they are at an advanced stage, but there has been a lot of dialogue between the two clubs.
"Two bids have gone in, both of them have been rejected. There have been talks on the player side with his representatives as well, and Lavia would be happy to move to Liverpool.
"So when I say advanced, I mean a lot more groundwork has been done on the deal, and obviously we know Liverpool have lost Fabinho and Jordan Henderson."
Who else could come in at Liverpool?
According to Football Insider, Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe is said to have a big admiration for the Reds and would prefer to move to Anfield over several other destinations around Europe amid his unique situation in the French capital.
Nevertheless, there is little chance of this becoming a likely scenario and Liverpool also wouldn't be able to bear the financial responsibility required to sign Mbappe permanently.
Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips, Bayern Munich playmaker Ryan Gravenberch and Fiorentina ace Sofyan Amrabat have been looked at as potential replacements for the now-departed Fabinho in midfield, as per Sky Sports.
Liverpool have also initiated contact with Fluminense midfielder Andre and it is thought that a fee of around £20 million could tempt the Brazil international to Anfield, the same outlet report.