REAL DEAL: Chelsea agreement close for Liverpool target Romeo Lavia – and still want Moises Caicedo

Chelsea are close to tying up a deal for Liverpool target Romeo Lavia, despite scrambling to sign Moises Caicedo after Jurgen Klopp’s side agreed a £111m deal for the Brighton star

Chelsea are on the verge of agreeing a deal for Romeo Lavia – and they plan on landing Moises Caicedo too.

The Blues, who have been locked in talks with Brighton over a move for Caicedo for months, have been scrambling to prevent Liverpool from hijacking the deal after the Reds had a £111m bid accepted for him Thursday.

It initially looked as if Liverpool would sign Lavia, after submitting three separate bids, the latest of which was worth £45m, for the 19-year-old over the past few weeks, but all hell broke loose when Liverpool gazumped Chelsea in the Caicedo race.

Chelsea then submitted a retaliatory £48m for Lavia, which was summarily rejected, but according to Sky Sports, they’re now close to striking an agreement with Southampton, who have been holding out for £50m.

Liverpool are expected to make a late play for the Belgian star, especially after being told by Caicedo that he only wants Chelsea and is prepared to wait for them to match Liverpool’s bid.

Seemingly in an attempt to raise funds, Chelsea dramatically cancelled plans to sign Leeds midfielder Tyler Adams, despite agreeing to pay the American’s £20m release clause.

But it now looks as if the Stamford Bridge club are happy to buy both Caicedo and Lavia, potentially leaving Liverpool high-and-dry in their search to find a replacement for Fabinho.

Chelsea want to finalise deals for both Caicedo and Lavia by the weekend, and could end up parading the players around Stamford Bridge ahead of their Premier League opener against Liverpool on Sunday.

However, unlike Chelsea, Liverpool have an agreement with Brighton in place for Caicedo and have made a lot of headway in their pursuit for Lavia, and could end up signing both players themselves.

The tug of war between the two clubs over the past couple of days has been absolutely bonkers, and there could well be more twists and turns to come.