Liverpool have emerged as the "front-runners" to secure the signature of Southampton's midfield dynamo Romeo Lavia, claims journalist Alex Crook.
Liverpool transfer news – What's the latest on Romeo Lavia?
It's been a positive start to the summer transfer window for Jurgen Klopp's Reds so far, with the signing of Brighton & Hove Albion's World Cup-winning midfielder Alexis Mac Allister last month for a fee of only £35m, potentially rising to £55m with certain clauses.
However, the six-time European champions haven't rested on their laurels and have since added the imperious Dominik Szoboszlai to their midfield in a deal worth an estimated £60m for the player's former club RB Leipzig.
In what is starting to look like an entire midfield rebuild in a single window, the club have turned their attention to the defensive midfield position after Fabinho had a year to forget by his standards.
The player deemed good enough to replace the Brazilian is Belgian international Lavia, who has attracted the interest of a swath of Premier League sides, with the Independent reporting last month that Arsenal were the favourites to land the player.
It would appear that the situation has dramatically changed over the last couple of weeks and that it is, in fact, Liverpool that have now shot to the front of the queue for the youngster's signature, per journalist Alex Crook.
He explained the situation on TalkSPORT's YouTube channel:
"Romeo Lavia is very much a name in the frame for Anfield, I know there is some interest from Chelsea as well, where their recruitment guru Joe Shields played a big part in him going from Manchester City to Southampton, he's keen to get the deal done taking Lavia to Stamford Bridge, but at this stage it looks like Liverpool are the front-runners. It won't be cheap though, Southampton are looking for a fee of as much as £50m for Lavia who I think will go on and become a real top quality Premier League midfielder."
Could Romeo Lavia replace Fabinho?
It may seem like a lot to ask of the 19-year-old, as the Brazilian was a key member of the Reds side that almost won the lot in the 2021/22 season, falling agonisingly close to being quadruple winners.
But after the horror campaign that the 29-year-old just had, it might be time to consider replacing him, and with the complete contrast in form that Southampton's gem had last year, he could well be the right man for the job.
In the passing department, it is advantage to the ex-Real Madrid man who attempts 61.7 passes at a completion rate of 88.3, a lot more than Lavia, who attempts just 40.4 with a completion rate of 86.2%, all per 90.
However, it is the Brussels-born "monster" that wins out when it comes to the defensive side of the game, perhaps the most important category if he is to be played just ahead of the back four.
The 5 foot 11 midfielder makhas madees 2.43 tackles per 90, winning 1.42 of them compared to Fabinho's 2.19 tackles, with 1.28 being successful. It is the same story with blocks and interceptions, with the Sao Paulo-born midfielder winning out in just clearances with 1.35 to his potential replacement's 0.93, also per 90.
While there are certainly some areas for Lavia to work on for him to surpass Fabinho, the fact that he is only 19 years old and already this good suggests that the potential upside with him could be massive, something that should worry the Brazilian should he have another Premier League campaign like his last.
