Romeo Lavia is set to make the WRONG transfer decision
Cameron Smith
- Updated: 30 Jul 2023 14:47 BST
- 4 min read
Romeo Lavia remains Liverpool’s key midfield target as Jurgen Klopp aims to sign the Southampton star in light of Jordan Henderson’s move to Saudi Arabia.
The 19-year-old starred for the Saints last season and has been linked with some of the Premier League’s biggest teams since Southampton’s relegation.
Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal have all expressed interest in Lavia in recent months, but it seems as though Chelsea and Liverpool are the only clubs still in the race to sign him.
MORE: Premier League 2023/24 summer transfers: All the Done Deals
The Blues’ focus has been on Moises Caicedo all summer, while they have now agreed a deal to sign Stade Rennais midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu.
That has seemingly given Liverpool a free run at signing Lavia, although Chelsea are still keeping an eye on the Southampton man, says Fabrizio Romano.
The transfer expert said on his YouTube channel: “It’s true, like I always told you, that Chelsea are keeping an eye on the situation of Romeo Lavia, but Liverpool are ahead at this moment in the race for Lavia.”
MORE: Real Madrid IMMEDIATELY respond to Mbappe to Liverpool rumours
Liverpool have seen Henderson, James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain depart this window, while Fabinho could join them in leaving Klopp’s side in the coming days.
However, Lavia should be wary of moving to Anfield this summer, as data analytics experts SciSports say Liverpool isn’t the best distance for the Belgian.
Who should Lavia join?
Using SciSports’ cutting-edge player Career Advice tool, Lavia’s best destination would actually be Jose Mourinho’s Roma, which is closely followed by staying at Southampton.
SciSports use a multitude of factors to determine which club would suit a player best, including potential development, formation, playing time and playing style.
Their Career Advice tool suggests that Chelsea would be the fourth-best destination for Lavia, behind Roma, Southampton and Sevilla, with a transfer suitability score of 75/100.
That is the same score as Borussia Dortmund, who have lost Jude Bellingham to Real Madrid this summer.
Interestingly, Wolves are deemed to be a better destination for Lavia than Liverpool, with Julen Lopetegui having suffered the departures of both Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves during this window.
Man Utd would also be a slightly better fit for Lavia, according to SciSports, given the number of options available to Erik ten Hag is far fewer than the midfielders at Klopp’s disposal.
Liverpool are the joint-10th best transfer destination for Lavia this summer, along with Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Real Betis and FC Porto.
The reason for Liverpool’s relatively low suitability for Lavia is mostly due to a low chance of regular playing time and a formation that doesn’t best line up with his qualities. Lavia played almost solely in a double pivot with James Ward-Prowse at St Mary’s last season, while Liverpool mostly use a single pivot, which Lavia has no experience of playing at senior level.
