Southampton are confident they will receive the £50m fee for midfielder Romeo Lavia. The midfielder’s agents have been contacted by Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool over a potential transfer this summer. It is known that the latter two are hesitant to offer so much considering their previous expenses and the fact that other objectives have taken precedence. Mikel Arteta’s main emphasis has been on completing the Declan Rice deal since Arsenal had to break their previous transfer record of £72 million to sign West Ham United’s captain for £105 million.
Kai Havertz has already been signed, and Jurrien Timber will follow. Now that there is fierce competition for his signing, the focus is anticipated to shift to Lavia, but Arsenal is mindful of their expenditure and has other options. Lavia is seen as a long-term anchor by Liverpool, who are currently rebuilding their midfield with the acquisitions of Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister. The Belgian international, who would also need to make it clear that Anfield is his preferred destination, would require a big discount from Southampton’s asking price.
Liverpool’s strategy this summer has been to get the best price for the appropriate profile despite an overvalued market and to pursue “clean” agreements that don’t entail competitive bidding or drag on. The club’s position is that before adding another player to the midfield, where Thiago is drawing a lot of interest, outgoings in that position must be made. Liverpool would like to bring in a third new player, and if the stars are in the right place, a signing may still take place despite departures. Chelsea is negotiating a deal for Moises Caicedo with Brighton in the meanwhile. They haven’t hidden their interest in Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia, but they are still focusing on shrinking a bloated team.
Southampton is ready to let the 19-year-old go during this transfer window, but it won’t be cheap. They feel that the fact that teams are interested in Lavia shows that he has the ability to become one of the top defensive midfielders in the league. In contrast, Manchester City will receive 20% of the selling price as part of the deal they agreed upon with Southampton a year ago.
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