Southampton are understood to be holding out for £50m for Romeo Lavia; one source has told Sky Sports News that Chelsea are also interested and keeping an eye on the 19-year-old's situation; Lavia has four years left on his Southampton contract after joining from Man City last summer
Wednesday 26 July 2023 06:30, UK
Southampton have rejected a bid thought to be worth £40m from Liverpool for midfielder Romeo Lavia.
The Saints are understood to be holding out for £50m for the 19-year-old.
One source has told Sky Sports News that Chelsea are also interested and keeping an eye on his situation.
Lavia has four years left on his Southampton contract.
The Belgium international joined Southampton from Manchester City last summer, but is expected to leave after the Saints were relegated from the Premier League at the end of last season.
Jurgen Klopp has already brought in two new midfielders this summer after the arrivals of Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton in a £35m deal, followed by that of Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig for £60m.
Those new signings have replaced departing midfielders James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita, while captain Jordan Henderson and Brazil international Fabinho could also leave Anfield this summer.
Both Henderson and Fabinho are in the process of securing moves to Saudi Arabia.
Liverpool have agreed a £15m deal with Steven Gerrard's Al Ettifaq for Henderson while Fabinho has been given permission to speak to Al Ittihad after the Merseyside club accepted a £40m offer for him.
Jordan Henderson has said goodbye to his Liverpool team-mates, and should be confirmed as an Al Ettifaq player by the end of the week.
Henderson's controversial transfer to Saudi Arabia's Pro League comes with a fee worth around £13m, and will bring his 12-year Anfield career to an end. He has won seven major trophies in that time.
The Liverpool captain sought clarity from Jurgen Klopp over how much game time he would get with the Reds next season, before making his decision to leave.
After joining the Liverpool squad for their pre-season training camp in Germany, Henderson was left out of the opening friendly against Karlsruher last week, and said farewell to his team-mates before returning home to undergo a medical and finalise the move.
The final legal details of his lucrative new Al Ettifaq contract are expected to be completed in the next 24 hours.
The Saudi Pro League side, now managed by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, are so determined to land the England international they have proposed more than tripling his £200,000-a-week salary.
Who will be on the move this summer when the transfer window opens on June 14 and closes at 11pm on September 1 in England and midnight in Scotland?
Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
