Liverpool are moving quickly to secure the signing of Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia according to Fabrizio Romano.
The 19-year-old midfielder has been targeted by a number of top Premier League sides this summer.
What is the latest news regarding Romeo Lavia?
The Belgian looks set to make his move away from St Mary's soon
That's according to journalist Sacha Tavolieri, who took to Twitter to reveal that Liverpool's second bid for the midfielder had been submitted this morning, with the focus on sorting out the payment structure and ensuring the bonuses are achievable. The player is prepared to leave and undergo his medical ahead of his move, with the Reds ideally wanting the midfielder to join up with them in Singapore. Tavolieri stated that it is simply a "matter of time" before the deal is completed.
The Merseyside outfit submitted an opening offer for the Belgian on Tuesday according to David Ornstein, with the offer reportedly worth £37m, which the Saints rejected, however, the club have come back in with a second improved offer to try and complete a deal.
The Reds are the first team to submit an official bid for the Belgian, despite the youngster attracting interest from Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester City following a bright first season in the Premier League, where the youngster made 29 appearances for Southampton last season, scoring one goal vs Chelsea in August and earning plenty of praise, with The Athletic journalist Jacob Tanswell naming the midfielder as his Southampton Player of the Year.
Premier League Hall of Fame member Rio Ferdinand was also full of praise for the midfielder, stating after the Saints defeat to Manchester United:
"The way he has started and immediately performed here kind of justifies the conviction that Southampton have had in going and getting him. He is a young player who can do both sides of the game, equally good defensively but also once he is on the ball he has tremendous feet and can pass it."
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano revealed that Liverpool are trying to complete the deal quickly due to the fact that Chelsea are also interested in the midfielder:
"It will be a £45m package; £42.5m guaranteed and £2.5m in add-ons so £45m total package with add-ons included. Southampton always wanted £50m so let’s see how this bid will go but Liverpool are strongly working on the Romeo Lavia deal because they know Chelsea have always been keeping an eye on Lavia, Chelsea have always been interested but no bid at this moment, so Liverpool are favourites to make the deal, but they are moving fast because they know Chelsea are keeping an eye on the situation."
Who will Lavia line up with?
Lavia is set to be the third addition to Liverpool's midfield this summer as they rebuild following a disappointing season last year.
The Reds have brought in two midfielders already, with Alexis Mac Allister arriving from Brighton and Hove Albion for a fee in the region of £35m and Dominik Szoboszlai from German outfit RB Leipzig for a fee in the region of £60m, with the pair impressing in the club's pre-season so far.
Manager Jurgen Klopp seems to be employing the same system that was used in the final games of last season, suggesting that should Lavia arrive, he would play as the left-sided defensive midfielder, partnering Trent Alexander-Arnold at the base of the midfield.
Lavia will not be playing with Jordan Henderson, who announced that he is leaving Liverpool, with his switch to Saudi Arabian side Al Ettifaq set to be announced soon. Fabinho is another player who could be departing Anfield, with his proposed switch to Al Ittihad back on after the deal had stalled and was under threat of collapsing. The Brazilian is reportedly not going to travel with the squad to Singapore with all parties committed to completing the deal.
Lavia could also be joined by another addition, with The Athletic's James Pearce reporting that the club are still interested in a number of midfielders, including Crystal Palace's Cheick Doucoure, Manchester City's Kalvin Phillips, Bayern Munich's Ryan Gravenberch and Fiorentina's Sofyan Amrabat, with the club potentially bringing in another to replace the outgoing pair of Henderson and Fabinho.
