Chelsea have made a bid for Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia, Fabrizio Romano revealed.
The offer is believed to be in the region of £48million, which is nearer to Saints’ £50m valuation than Liverpool’s most recent proposal.
Liverpool have had three bids rejected by Saints for the former Manchester City man, with their most recent offer believed to be up to £45m.
The Reds have spent much of the window negotiating with the Championship club over the price of Lavia.
Following their latest setback earlier this week, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher called on his former club to walk away from the deal.
“This is embarrassing,” Carragher tweeted on Monday.
“Liverpool for years now have got deals done quickly with no fuss.
If you don’t think he’s worth £50m move on, if you really want him pay it.
“Also not sure why LFC aren’t in for [Moises] Caicedo, yes it’s a lot of money but Liverpool got big money for JH [Jordan Henderson] /FAB [Fabinho].”
And now they face the prospect of losing Lavia to a rival club, although Chelsea’s offer is still short of Southampton’s asking price.
The Belgium international joined the south coast club in a £14m deal from Man City last summer and is contracted at St Mary’s until the summer of 2027.
He performed well in his debut season at Southampton but failed to help them avoid relegation from the Premier League.
This approach for Lavia suggests Chelsea may have given up hope of signing Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo.
Chelsea have had offers of £70m and £80m rejected with the Seagulls understood to be after £90m for the Ecuador international.
Man City ‘turn midfielder’s head’ with £70m offer as Liverpool plot next move
Manchester City are reportedly eyeing a move for West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta.
The Brazil international made the move to the Olympic Stadium just last summer for a club-record fee of £51m, and, according to Brazilian publication GloboEsporte, Pep Guardiola’s side have tabled a bid of £70m.
The 2023 Premier League winners have lost both captain Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez already this summer and now appear to be targeting a move for the Hammers midfielder to add alongside their captures of Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic.
However, according to the Daily Mail, the Hammers will fight to keep the 25-year-old, who played a key role in last season’s Europa Conference League win. The report adds that City’s toughest task will be in persuading chairman David Sullivan to sell Paqueta, just weeks after losing captain Declan Rice to Arsenal.
Fresh claims from Sky indicate that Paqueta’s “head has been turned” – but his current club will hold firm and seek a fee of around £85m.
Meanwhile, City’s prospects of securing their fifth title in the last six seasons have been boosted by Kyle Walker’s apparent transfer U-turn. The England and Manchester City full-back, 33, had appeared increasingly likely to end his six-year stay at the Etihad this summer and join Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.
However, now, according to reports across the national media, Walker is set to prolong his stay at the Etihad and has even seemingly been offered a new contract by the 2023 Champions League winners.
Speaking in his press conference last week, Guardiola said City would “do everything” to persuade both Walker and Bernardo Silva to stay put at the club.
Elsewhere in the Premier League, Arsenal are set to sign David Raya from Brentford. According to The Athletic, the former Blackburn Rovers and Barcelona shot-stopper will undergo the formalities of completing a move to North London after Arsenal and Brentford agreed on a fee potentially rising to £30m.
Raya had previously been linked with a move to both Tottenham and Bayern Munich earlier this summer. However, neither side were able to agree on a deal with the West London outfit. Mikel Arteta’s move for the Spaniard comes with secondary goalkeeper Matt Turner closing on a move to Nottingham Forest.
Meanwhile, Manchester United look set to sell Harry Maguire to West Ham for a fee of around £30m. The Hammers are splashing their Rice cash with several deals in the pipeline, as reports today also suggest a £30m move for Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse is close to completion.
It remains to be seen what impact Southampton’s sales have on Liverpool’s interest in midfielder Romeo Lavia. The Saints are believed to be holding out for their £50m asking price after three failed bids from Anfield. They have already sold full-back Tino Livramento to Newcastle for an initial £32m, and look sent to bank an additional £30m for Ward-Prowse.
Liverpool are plotting their next move, with negotiations ongoing over Lavia. There has also been interest in Fluminense star Andre Trinidade.