Romeo Lavia has been dropped from the Southampton starting XI for their Championship opener at Sheffield Wednesday amid interest from Liverpool
Lavia subject of intense Liverpool interest
Saints already rejected two offers
Midfielder on bench for Championship curtain-raiser
WHAT HAPPENED? Liverpool have been interested in the midfielder for some time and, after seeing two bids rejected because they didn’t match the Saints’ asking price, could finally be set to get their man. Russell Martin has put him on the bench for Friday’s game at Hillsborough as negotiations between Southampton and Liverpool continue, with the Reds ready to offer £40 million ($51m) plus add-ons.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Jurgen Klopp knows he needs more midfielders. The arrivals of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai represented a good start to the apparent ‘rebuild’, but the departures of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson left the Anfield club without a recognised defensive midfielder – making the acquisition of Lavia somewhat of a necessity.
