As it was, the manager claims the £50 million Liverpool target will play for him today.

Romeo Lavia is expected to play in today’s exhibition match between Southampton and AZ Alkmaar.

Prior to their preseason match, Saints manager Russell Martin told the team that the lineup would remain the same as it did in Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to Bournemouth.

Lavia received a starting spot as Southampton played the Cherries at St. Mary’s Stadium despite Liverpool’s £40 million bid for the midfielder earlier this week.

Lavia was taken off at halftime after it became apparent that he was “coasting” and had his attention elsewhere during the first half.

Martin, however, has the option of restarting him this afternoon even though a transfer to Anfield is still unlikely. The Reds have not yet submitted a second offer for the Belgian and are waiting for Fabinho to leave the club before they resume their pursuit.

Liverpool was initially eager to sign Lavia in time for tomorrow’s match against Leicester City in Singapore, but they still appear to be far from confirming his potential arrival as the midfielder is still on the south coast this weekend.

Fabinho has already passed his medical with Al-Ittihad, so his departure from Merseyside may be official within the next few days. Lavia might join Liverpool before their game against Bayern Munich, but he might stay in England and play in their final preseason match on August 7 against Darmstadt.

It is urgent that Liverpool and Southampton work out a deal for Lavia.

Romeo Lavia’s personal terms have already been established, so Liverpool should be able to complete a deal for him quickly after their bid is accepted.

With just two weeks until their Premier League debut against Chelsea, the Reds must reach that point as soon as possible.

Lavia might only appear in one preseason game with his new teammates if he misses the Bayern Munich match. It would be unlikely at that point for him to make his Blues debut.

Jurgen Klopp’s midfield options may be constrained by Thiago’s recent injury concerns. Curtis Jones’ return to last season’s form will be eagerly anticipated by the German.

More news……..

Romeo Lavia latest as Jurgen Klopp wants deal before imminent ‘deadline

Liverpool are ready to make an improved offer for the Southampton midfielder, to avoid Chelsea’s interest and make it part of their pre-stuagional tours through Singapore

Liverpool is ready to make an improved offer for Romeo Lavia, with the hope of quickly completing an agreement for the midfielder.

Jurgen Klopp planns to renew his machine room this summer and has already signed Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai. But with Fabinho and Jordan Henderson now the subject of offers from Saudi Arabia, this soon became a need.

Lavia, who designed for the Saints of Manchester City last summer, was a radiant star in the championship despite their relegation. And he played enough heads during his first superior campaign to ensure that his decrease in the second layer is short -lived. A number of clubs have been linked with the 19-year-old, with Chelsea also remaining firmly interested. However, Liverpool want to strike while the iron is hot and just two days after an opening offer was rejected they are set to return.

Athletic report that after rejecting an initial offer of £37m, the Reds are ready to put together a financial package that should bring them closer to Southampton’s £50m valuation. This will likely consist of several possible additions, with high confidence that a compromise can be reached.

And Klopp hopes that will happen sooner rather than later when his side fly to Singapore later this week. Liverpool are set to leave on Thursday and the Kop boss wants a deal to be finalized before then so the Belgium international can sit on the plane.

Southampton manager Russell Martin praised the youngster for his professionalism midweek after playing 45 minutes in Tuesday’s friendly against Bournemouth. “Given what’s going on, I thought it would be good for Romeo to play tonight and do all these things because he didn’t have the minutes the others had.

“You can ask for an update, but I can’t give you one because I don’t know. I’ll speak to (sporting director) Jason (Wilcox) now, but I’ve prepared for this game.”

Klopp and his players returned to Merseyside after a camp in Germany, where he insisted more deals would be finalized before the competition begins in less than a month. “There are so many things to do,” he told the club’s media team. “The transfer window is open. If my day had 28 hours right now it wouldn’t be a problem – I could easily fill them!

\”There are still three and a half weeks until the first game of the season. Before then there is still a lot to do, especially in terms of the transfer market. This is now clear. And it will happen. New players must enter. We will have a good team.”

Pending an official announcement, Henderson’s departure is already complete, with the former captain making the controversial decision despite a late appeal from the club’s LGBT+ fan group.

Fabinho is also expected to leave but his move to Al Ittihad fell through due to a delay in the process. Not all parties have completed the transfer yet, which could net the Reds around £40m when completed.