Reliable Journalist Claims That Liverpool And Chelsea Will Go Head To Head To Sign£40M Rated Teenager

Liverpool and Chelsea are both weighing up bids for Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia, according to The Times reporter Paul Hirst.

The usually reliable journalist claims that, despite the Saints’ relegation to the Championship, they will still hold out for a fee in the region of £40m.

Manchester City do have a buyback option on Lavia, having sold him for £12.5m last summer, but that clause only comes into effect next year and it is believed they will not make an offer for the Belgian before then.

Lavia is still only 19 years of age, and he received his first senior international cap just a couple of months ago but he is a player that is highly regarded by scouts.

Liverpool are targeting a number of midfielders

In addition to Lavia, the Reds are reportedly closing in on a deal to sign Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister, while the likes of Chelsea’s Mason Mount, Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch and Sporting Lisbon’s Manuel Ugarte have also been mentioned as possible targets.

With vice-captain James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita all leaving, it is expected that more than one central midfield player will be purchased in the coming weeks to compensate for the number of departures.

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Steven Gerrard names star’more talented’than him as Liverpool knows one part of evolution

Liverpool needs to buy at least two midfielders in the summer but the form of one young talent has caught the eye of Steven Gerrard over the past couple of months ahead of a crucial period of change.

Jürgen Klopp knows that the center of the pitch is going to be important to reshape and get right, but also that Curtis Jones could have a big part to play next season in his current form.

Having struggled for consistency until this latest period — largely thanks to a series of injuries — Jones has come to life in a more attacking role lately and has strung together his best run as a senior Liverpool player.

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Gerrard, who played his part in developing Jones when he was in charge of Liverpool’s U18s team at the start of his coaching career, has been left very impressed with the 22-year-old — though he is not surprised.

“Curtis is more talented than me in terms of technique, in terms of dribbling ability, in terms of manipulating the ball, and close control,” Gerrard told The Anfield Wrap.

“He’s a different type of player to me, in that I was more of a runner, a passer. Curtis is more of an individual — a soloist, if you like. But I love watching him when he’s in the form he’s in now. He can go as far as he wants to go in terms of what he has got.

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“He’s got the profile, the physical capacity, the technical ability, the attitude and the mentality. He has got all the tools. He should be thinking ‘I want to become one of Liverpool’s best players’.”

Liverpool.com says: Jones has the ability to be the perfect player in the more advanced number eight role that Liverpool is currently using. His quality has never been in doubt but his availability has.

If Jones has got over his injury troubles and can stay fit for a full season, there is no reason that with the more attacking license he is now being afforded, he cannot get around 10 goals.

That would be a hugely advantageous evolution in the Liverpool midfield area and make things a lot easier heading into next season, though it does not negate the need for transfers.