As per Sky Sports, Chelsea have submitted a £48 million offer for Romeo Lavia, coming closer to Southampton’s valuation of £50 million, and aiming to outbid Liverpool in the process.
In recent weeks, Liverpool have been making a series of progressively higher offers for Lavia, but they are still at least £4 million away from reaching an agreement.
Meanwhile, Mauricio Pochettino is aiming to rebuild Chelsea’s midfield and has a desire to sign two midfielders. He is hoping that Lavia will be added to Brighton’s Moises Caicedo as a new signing at Stamford Bridge.
Furthermore, a personal connection comes into play as the 18-year-old has a strong rapport with Joe Shields. Shields was responsible for bringing Lavia to Southampton and now holds a position at Chelsea in recruitment.
Liverpool, set to face Chelsea in their Premier League opener on Sunday, have encountered difficulties in their efforts to sign the 19-year-old midfielder. Despite making three offers, all have been rejected for a player with just 29 appearances in the top flight.
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Their initial bids of £34 million plus £4 million and £42 million were turned down, and a subsequent proposal of £46 million also faced rejection from the Championship club.
Lavia, who moved from Manchester City to Southampton last summer, made his international debut for Belgium earlier this year. He was selected by the national team for the Euro 2024 qualifier against Sweden and a friendly against Germany.
Despite Southampton’s relegation, Lavia performed exceptionally well throughout the past season, featuring in 29 matches and scoring one goal.
Looking at these statistics, it is not surprising to see the player being targeted by several high-profile clubs. However, Chelsea’s bid will not be a positive sign for Liverpool, since they are seriously considering a move for the talented defensive midfielder.
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The Reds are actively searching for a midfielder following the departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho. They need a defensive midfielder to compete for titles next season and losing out on Lavia could be hard to digest for the fans.
