Liverpool may have taken a leaf out of the book of Manchester City as they look to secure the signature of Romeo Lavia from Southampton. The Reds are set to table their third bid for the playmaker imminently, though fears of growing that their move could be hijacked by one of their Premier League rivals.
Lavia has been identified by the Anfield outfit as the ideal candidate to complete Jurgen Klopp’s new-look midfield alongside summer signings Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, sitting deeper in the role as a No 6 behind the aforementioned duo.
With Jordan Henderson and Fabinho both leaving the club, Liverpool lack a player suited to that position at this stage and therefore signing Lavia is key for their plans next season. However, they may need to act quickly if they are to sign the midfielder given that Chelsea are also keen and have identified him as a potential alternative to Moises Caicedo.
The Blues are locked in negotiations with Brighton over the Ecuador international but, at this stage, are not willing to match his £100million valuation. The emergence of a ‘mystery bidder’ could alter that stance though, with The Athletic reporting that a fresh offer has arrived that is higher than Chelsea have bid this summer (£80m).
Numerous sides have been speculatively named as the unnamed club, with Saudi Arabian outfits also credited with interest given their significant transfer budgets. Liverpool has been named by some news outlets as the ‘mystery bidder’, and their Caicedo offer could be deemed a tactical play in the transfer market rather than a concrete approach – as City are credited with doing when they tabled a bid for Declan Rice earlier this summer which sparked Arsenal into life.
The Reds may have submitted an offer for the 21-year-old in the hope of setting off alarm bells at Stamford Bridge, knowing that the bid won’t be accepted but still strike fear into the hearts of those at Chelsea.