Liverpool’s Lavia quest is about to get much more frustrating as Saints shift the goalposts – according to reports.
Liverpool’s pursuit of Romeo Lavia may face further hurdles, as Southampton appears to have boosted their asking price in reaction to rising interest in the player.
The Reds have already had bids of £37 million and £41 million rejected, with the Saints demanding £50 million, and there may soon be an even larger gap for the Anfield club to try to overcome.
The Daily Record reports that the south coast club is now “confident of achieving a fee in excess of £60m for Lavia despite competing interest from Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United.”
Prior to the second bid being submitted yesterday, there appeared to be a lot of hope that Liverpool would come up with the extra million to sign Lavia.
However, with Southampton rejecting the follow-up offer and the 19-year-old’s valuation potentially increasing by 20% as his club shifts the goalposts, the narrative has changed.
There was a school of thought that the Saints were holding out for a high price in the hopes of sparking a bidding war, and they now appear to have one, with as many as four clubs reportedly interested in the teenager.
Liverpool’s interest in Fluminense’s Andre Trindade, who could be available for as little as £21.6 million, shows that they’re thinking beyond Lavia and are prepared to have a Plan B if the Belgian proves too expensive.
It’s been a frustrating 24 hours for the Reds in their pursuit of the Southampton midfielder, and if the Championship club is now asking £60 million for him, we’ll soon find out how much Jurgen Klopp wants him at Anfield, depending on how much our next offer (if there is one) is.
