Liverpool prepare bid to HIJACK Chelsea and Arsenal's pursuit of midfield gem

Cameron Smith

• 3 Jul 2023 09:00 BST
• 3 min read

Liverpool are in the process of preparing their opening offer for Southampton and Belgium midfielder Romeo Lavia as Jurgen Klopp continues a midfield overhaul at Anfield.

The Reds have already signed Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai from Brighton & Hove Albion and RB Leipzig respectively, while talks for Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram are expected to continue following France’s elimination from the U21 European Championships.

However, the Merseyside outfit aren’t prepared to stop there as they set their sights on Lavia.

READ: Liverpool handed MAJOR transfer boost in race to sign Thuram

According to TalkSport, Liverpool are preparing their first bid for the Saints star, who is valued at around €60 million, with the club now deemed ahead of Chelsea in the race to acquire his services.

Mauricio Pochettino has officially started his tenure as Blues boss and has been recommended Lavia by co-director of recruitment Joe Shields. However, Chelsea are currently prioritising a move for Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo.

Furthermore, Arsenal are focused on completing the signing of Declan Rice from West Ham United. It’s believed the Gunners have agreed a €122m fee to sign the England international, with an official announcement expected soon. Mikel Arteta’s side have already added Kai Havertz, who is thought of as an option in midfield, but remain in the hunt for Lavia as they prepare for Thomas Partey’s potential departure.

READ: Ozil BEGS Barcelona and Arsenal target to reject summer transfer

FootballTransfers exclusively reported on 1 July that Partey has asked to leave the Gunners, with Arsenal willing to push for Lavia as his replacement once the Ghanian’s future is sorted.

Lavia to Liverpool?

Liverpool are reportedly now leading the race for Lavia as Klopp prepares to bring in a defensive midfielder to compete with Fabinho. The Brazilian cut a weary figure last season, but looked vastly improved when the Reds switched to a new system that included Trent Alexander-Arnold moving into midfield.

It’s believed that Liverpool are now pushing for a more defensive presence in central midfield after securing a €70m deal to bring Szoboszlai to Anfield.