Liverpool have tabled yet another fresh bid for highly-rated young Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia, having seen a £46m offer rejected, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.
How much does Romeo Lavia cost?
The Reds' interest in the 19-year-old has been one of this summer's biggest transfer sagas, as they look to make further midfield signings ahead of the new Premier League season.
While Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai have come in as exciting-looking additions, no other signings have been made, despite losing Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at the same time.
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It is Lavia who is seemingly considered Liverpool's No.1 option to come in and replace Fabinho in the defence midfield role, however, and on Monday they saw a third offer worth £46m turned down by Southampton, as the Championship side continue to hold firm.
Saints are demanding somewhere more in the region of £50m for the Belgian's services, and it looks as though the Reds may have finally bid that amount, following a new update.
What's the latest on Romeo Lavia to Liverpool?
Writing on Twitter on Monday night, Jacobs claimed that a fourth bid for Lavia has now been made by Liverpool almost immediately after the third, as they wait to hear Southampton's latest response:
"Understand Liverpool have already made another improved offer for Romeo Lavia after Southampton rejected their last £46m bid."
This whole situation has become rather painful at this point, with Liverpool making a mountain out of a molehill, in terms of continually bidding below the asking price when it is clear that Southampton aren't going to budge. The Reds must either stump up the £50m needed to get Lavia, or walk away from the deal and look at bringing in a different option in the No.6 role.
For Liverpool to be heading into their Premier League away to Chelsea on Sunday with no recognised defensive midfielder in their squad is a fairly ludicrous situation to be in, and even if Lavia does arrive before that game, it seems highly unlikely that he will feature, considering how late the Reds have left it.
Should this latest bid be accepted, though, the Merseysiders would be acquiring the services of a hugely exciting young footballer with a very high ceiling – one who Pep Guardiola has described as "incredible" in the past, with journalist Jacob Tanswell hailing him as "ridiculous".
At 19, it would be unfair to expect too much from Lavia straight away, as he gets used to playing for such a massive club – another No.6 with a little more experience is needed, too, but it remains to be seen if that will happen – but he showed last season that he can excel in the Premier League, arguably outperforming every other Southampton player and doing his best to keep them in the top flight, prior to their relegation.
An average of 2.1 tackles per game across 29 league appearances highlights his off-the-ball quality, but he is also a class act in possession, proving to be good in tight spaces and receiving the ball on the half-turn, completing 86.4% of his passes in a struggling Saints team last term.
