Fabrizio Romano believes Liverpool signing £50m star will depend on one Arsenal departure
Despite already signing two top midfielders, Liverpool are expected to target a third.
That’s according to leading transfer expert and CaughtOffside columnist Fabrizio Romano, who has weighed in on the Reds’ proposed pursuit of Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia.
Likely to leave the Saints following the side’s relegation to the Championship, Lavia, 19, is widely regarded as one of Europe’s most promising defensive midfielders.
And after bidding farewell to Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and veteran James Milner, all of whom left Anfield on free transfers at the end of the season, it goes without saying how important it is for Jurgen Klopp to replace his midfield.
Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai have already completed moves from Brighton and Hove Albion and RB Leipzig, respectively, and according to Romano, although Klopp likes Nice’s Khephren Thuram, Lavia is a top target.
“They want one more [midfielder],” Romano said on Monday’s DeBrief podcast.
“[…] They will discuss internally this week about Khephren Thuram, for sure, he has always been on the list and he remains on the list so he is a player they really appreciate, but he is very expensive.
“But also, it is important to mention, Romeo Lavia is also expensive because Southampton wants around £50m, but from what I am hearing, Liverpool, in the recent days, have had some direct contact on both the club and the player’s side to explore the conditions of the Romeo Lavia deal.”
Going on to explain how a deal for Lavia could unfold, Romano hinted that Arsenal’s attempts to offload Thomas Partey could be key in deciding which team win the race.
“It’s not time for a bid yet, […] but they are well informed on Romeo Lavia,” he added.
“They know also Arsenal are there but for Arsenal, it depends on Thomas Partey. They are working on this potential exit of Partey but it’s not that easy. Arsenal will let Partey go in case they receive a good proposal, he’s not a player they want to sell for a normal, or cheap, fee. So this is an important point.”
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