‘Honestly…’ – Fabrizio Romano gives his thoughts on Liverpool’s summer pursuit of ‘top talent’
Fabrizio Romano has given his thoughts on Liverpool’s ongoing pursuit of Romeo Lavia, who he’s described as a ‘top talent’.
The Reds are believed to be strongly interested in the 19-year-old, who’d be open to the move, but Southampton’s refusal to budge from their £50m asking price is proving a sticking point, with the Merseyside club seeing £40m as their ‘top-end yardstick for valuation’ (Ben Jacobs).
The Italian transfer reporter has stated in his latest CaughtOffside Substack column that internal talks over a possible swoop for the midfielder are ongoing, but a formal offer has yet to be made.
Romano outlined: “At the moment this is still not something imminent. Liverpool are discussing internally about Lavia, no official bid has been submitted yet. And also no decision has been made on the price.”
He then gave his own thoughts on the Southampton youngster, saying: “Lavia remains on the Reds’ list, and, honestly, I think Lavia would be a fantastic signing. He’s a top talent, it’s not easy to find that kind of player on the market, so I don’t know if they have alternatives at this stage.”
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There’s little questioning that the 19-year-old is a very talented young player – he must have something special about him if Southampton, now in the Championship, are steadfastly refusing to waver from their £50m valuation of him.
He stood out as a rare positive in a Saints team which tamely relinquished their top-flight status last season and has won glowing praise from Premier League-winning managers and players.
Pep Guardiola said he has ‘an incredible opinion about him’ (mancity.com), while Paul Scholes labelled him ‘a player with so much potential’ (BT Sport, via Daily Mail).
Transfer expert Romano has now been added to the growing list of admirers, but as we’ve argued on this site, Southampton’s asking price is simply too steep for a player who’s only had one season of regular senior football (Transfermarkt).
It was just a few weeks ago that Liverpool landed Alexis Mac Allister – a World Cup winner who’s starred at Brighton for several campaigns – for an initial £35m (BBC Sport), so it’d be hard to justify paying nearly 50% more than that to lure the admittedly precocious Lavia.
Let’s hope that, as the transfer deadline draws nearer over the coming weeks, the Saints might come down on their valuation of the teenager and be willing to accept an offer which’d still give them the financial means to bolster their own recruitment.
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