Roméo Lavia has supposedly told Jürgen Klopp that he wants to move to Anfield while a defender could soon be the subject of a ‘new’ bid.
It has been quite the day in terms of breaking transfer news for Liverpool. As Jürgen Klopp and Jörg Schmadtke look to reshape the squad at Anfield, things could be about to ramp up significantly.
Jordan Henderson and Fabinho are both being targeted for moves to Saudi Arabia, with The Athletic reporting earlier that a bid worth $52m (£40m/€47m) is imminent for the latter.
The Liverpool captain, meanwhile, has been offered as much as $915k (£700k/€820k) per week to join up with Steven Gerrard, with the Daily Mail breaking that story less than 24 hours ago.
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If both were to leave in one summer, that would leave a huge void of experience in the center of the pitch. It would also make signing two more midfielders from this point an absolute necessity.
That is perhaps now more of a priority than adding another defender to the Liverpool squad, or at least it would be should Henderson and Fabinho both choose to go.
But getting ahead of a big need emerging at the back should still be on the agenda. With both of those things in mind, here is the Liverpool.com verdict on the transfer gossip to emerge around the Reds today.
Roméo Lavia (Southampton)
Jürgen Klopp has spoken to Roméo Lavia and the player wants to make the move to Liverpool, according to Belgian journalist Sacha Tovalieri, who reports that agreeing personal terms with the Southampton midfielder will not be an issue.
As part of the story that Jordan Henderson and Fabinho could leave Liverpool this summer, The Athletic reports that Lavia is an option for the Reds, with any move for the ex-Manchester City man likely to require an exit to create space.
Liverpool ‘truly believes he is definitely a big prospect for the future’, the journalist states, with an opening offer possible if one of Henderson or Fabinho leaves.
Liverpool.com says: While Lavia would be an excellent addition for the Reds, it is hard not to think that replacing an experienced professional — and even the club captain — with someone who has only made 29 top-flight appearances in his career would be a major risk. Lavia alone would not be enough to replace either player, let alone both.
While the immediate need might be to replace a couple of outgoing midfield players this summer, Liverpool should also be looking at signing a left-sided defender with links to former Ajax star Perr Schuurs not going away.
According to Tuttosport, Liverpool has already seen an offer worth $34m (£26m/€30m) rejected for Schuurs and will soon return with an improved bid closer to his valuation of $45m (£34m/€40m). Jürgen Klopp, the report claims, wanted Schuurs last summer and is now ‘insisting’ that a deal is done.
Liverpool.com says: It has not yet become clear which defender Liverpool will target this summer, but it should definitely be a priority. Whether Schuurs is the man remains to be seen, but if the Reds went into the new season without having added another body at the back, that would be a risk. Levi Colwill would be perfect, but getting him out of Chelsea might be next to impossible
