A deal worth around £60million has been agreed to see Lavia join the Reds, according to The Guardian. However, it is said that Liverpool must still convince the midfielder to join them over Chelsea, who could decide to launch a late attempt to hijack the move.
The Merseyside giants are desperate to strengthen in midfield and were recently stung by Chelsea winning the race to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton. The latter is set to move for a British record transfer fee despite Liverpool agreeing terms with the Seagulls, only for the player to inform them of his desire to join Chelsea instead.
It could be a different story regarding their pursuit of Lavia, though, with journalist Ben Jacobs claiming that he would prefer to sign for Liverpool. He is said to have made his feelings clear behind the scenes, which could stand the Reds in good stead to snap him up over the coming days.
However, it is also said that Chelsea would like to sign both Caicedo and Lavia this summer and are yet to give up the chase. It remains to be seen how the situation will unfold, with Southampton reportedly eager to push through Lavia’s exit as quickly as possible
Liverpool are said to have raised their bid for Lavia on Sunday night despite the Reds having previously refused to go over the £45m mark. The player himself is determined to leave Southampton in order to continue his development in the Premier League, where he excelled before the Saints were relegated last season
