13 July 2023 , 14:29
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Liverpool are braced for Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad to bid £40million for midfield stalwart Fabinho, prompting Jurgen Klopp to target Southampton starlet Romeo Lavia as his replacement.
Lavia, 19, joined Southampton from Premier League champions Manchester City for an initial £10.5m last summer and despite the Saints' relegation from the top flight, mightily impressed in midfield. The Belgian, who recently won his first cap at international level, has been the subject of concrete interest from Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea, but Liverpool appear to be leading the race.
That's because Reds boss Klopp is keen to bring in a new midfielder should Fabinho depart for the Middle East. According to the Athletic, Al-Ittihad's pursuit of Fabinho is set to ramp up with an opening £40m transfer offer which Liverpool will consider accepting.
The Brazilian midfielder turns 30 in October and is contracted to Anfield until 2026. Fabinho also suffered a serious dip in form last season, like many of his team-mates, leading Klopp to reshape his team.
Klopp's revamp of the Reds' midfield has already begun with the arrivals of Alexis MacAllister and Dominik Szoboszlai for a combined £105m. Meanwhile, he's also waved goodbye to James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain upon the expiry of their contracts in June.
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Like Fabinho captain, Jordan Henderson could be set to follow out of the exit door in a big-money move to Saudi Arabia, as striker Roberto Firmino already has done, joining Al-Ahli. That's all lead to Liverpool's interest in Lavia, who Southampton manager Russell Martin admits could leave the club and return to the Premier League.
"I hope I can convince some people to stay who were 50-50 about it," Martin told BBC Radio Solent. "I think there will be some players who we can't avoid [losing] who will be back in the Premier League.
Southampton reportedly value Liverpool target Romeo Lavia at £40million (Michael Steele/Getty Images)Have your say! Would Romeo Lavia be a good signing for Liverpool? Join the debate in the comments section.
"That's the nature of the game and some of them will be far too attractive to Premier League teams and will want to go and play in the Premier League. You have to respect that."
Notably, Southampton are reported to value Lavia at a minimum £40m. The Saints owe 20 percent of any future transfer fee to Man City, who included a sell-on clause when letting him head to the south coast in 2022.
The Belgium international has a deal at St Mary's lasting for four more years and returned for pre-season training last week. In March, Lavia revealed that he doesn't get caught up in speculation surrounding his future by telling Sky Sports: "I don't read it. I don't read it, because I just don't think about it. I just enjoy my football and focus on what we have to do as a club.
"Whatever is outside, it is not what I can control, so I don't pay attention to that. Football, with how it goes, it goes so fast. One moment you can be in the headlines and the next, you're not. So the only thing to do is just be neutral, don't think about it and get your head down and work."
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