Summary
Liverpool "desperately want" to sign Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia, with a deal now "there to be done", according to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth.
What's the latest on Romeo Lavia to Liverpool?
The Reds' pursuit of Lavia continues to drag on, with the Saints recently knocking back a third bid in the region of £45m, as they are thought to be standing firm on their £50m valuation, given that he has four years remaining on his contract.
Southampton boss Russell Martin has now claimed he does not expect any departures before the weekend, which suggests the 19-year-old will not arrive at Anfield before the Reds' first Premier League game.
Martin said: "I don't envisage anything changing between now and the weekend, but it's football, right, so anything can happen."
There have been reports that Liverpool have already tabled a fourth bid for the midfielder, with journalist Ben Jacobs claiming they have already made an "improved" fourth offer, although it is unclear if they are willing to match the Saints' asking price.
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In a recent interview with GiveMeSport, Sheth has now provided an update on the Reds' pursuit of the Southampton star, in which he suggests they are still in a very good position to sign him this summer.
The Sky Sports reporter said: "Talks are ongoing, so I think there's a deal to be done there. The fact that Liverpool have made three bids would suggest that they desperately want to bring in the player.
"The latest bid was around £45million all in, including add-ons. Even though that's only £5million short of what Southampton are standing firm on, we haven't really got all the information on how that deal would have been structured.
"If Southampton are standing firm on £50million, they might actually have another caveat to say they want the majority of that £50million paid up front, followed by the performance-related add-ons. They would also want those performance-related add-ons to be achievable, but the fact that they're still talking would imply that the deal is there to be done."
What type of player is Romeo Lavia?
It appears as though the starlet is being targeted as a like-for-like replacement for Fabinho, as he is a defensive midfielder, making 60 tackles for Southampton in the Premier League last season, the third-highest amount of any player in the squad.
The youngster's former teammates are well aware of his quality, with Nathan Redmond lauding him as "unbelievable", while Oriol Romeu, now of Barcelona, also gave him high praise, saying: “Romeo was a talent, if you’re that young and playing that well, you’re going to be special.”
There have been a number of key departures for Jurgen Klopp's side this summer, particularly in midfield, with six central midfielders leaving the club, including club captain Jordan Henderson, while only Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister have been brought in.
As such, it is vital that Liverpool strengthen their midfield soon, with their first game against Chelsea pencilled in for this Sunday, so it is good news that Southampton are still open to letting Lavia go, and they should try and wrap up the deal as soon as possible.
