Liverpool have already had their first bid of £40m for Romeo Lavia rejected, and now a fresh update has emerged from a reliable source on the club's pursuit of the player.
How much will Romeo Lavia cost?
According to Italian journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool are "ready" to make a second bid for the Southampton midfielder.
Romano revealed on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon:
"Understand Liverpool new formal bid for Roméo Lavia is almost ready — around £42.5m guaranteed fee plus £2.5m add ons up to total £45m package
"Liverpool want to be fast as Chelsea are still interested in Lavia, keeping close eye. Arsenal gone quiet as Thomas [Partey] could now stay."
Southampton's relegation to the Championship has now made Lavia a prime target for many Premier League clubs and due to the increased interest in their youth prospect have slapped a £50m price tag on the Manchester City academy graduate's head this summer – a price-point Liverpool are yet to match.
Do Liverpool need to sign Romeo Lavia?
Despite having a successful transfer window with the signings of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, Jurgen Klopp is now being forced to consider adding more depth to the centre of the pitch ahead of the new season.
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has confirmed his departure from Anfield after 12 years of service upon his imminent move to Saudia Arabia via Al-Ettifaq, whilst a move to the Saudi Pro League for Fabinho is looking increasingly likely too.
It was reported that Fabinho's £40m transfer to Al Ittihad was in jeopardy, however, The Times reporter Paul Joyce revealed yesterday that it is expected that the 29-year-old will leave.
This means that Klopp is set to lose two of his most experienced deep-lying midfielders, leaving behind break-out star Stefan Bajcetic and extremely injury-prone Thiago Alcantara, so there is definitely pressure for Liverpool to complete more signings to bolster that defensive presence in midfield.
As a result, the signing of Lavia – once hailed a "10/10 talent" by football talent scout Jacek Kulig – is a much-needed piece of business for the Reds this summer, and if they can come to an agreement with Southampton in the coming days and weeks, it would provide Klopp with not only the perfect replacement for Fabinho but a future star to develop.
When comparing the 19-year-old sensation's output to Fabinho's last season, Lavia came close to his Brazilian positional peer in a number of key attributes including the percentage of dribblers tackled (39.6% v 38.7%), successful take-ons (56% v 46.7%) and pass completion (86.2% v 88.3%), as per FBref.
Not only that, the Belgian ranked in the top 30% of his positional peers in the Premier League last season per 90 minutes played for blocks, interceptions, tackles won in the middle third, successful take-ons and pass completion, demonstrating that he has been a promising prospect during his first season in the top-flight.
Those are all desirable attributes and with his chief holding midfielder Fabinho departing, they will be required greatly by Klopp and co.
With that being said, it will be interesting to see whether Saints will agree to part with Lavia for £5m less than their original asking price and if they can beat competitors to a deal, it would set up the next generation of Liverpool's midfield for years to come.