Jurgen Klopp given perfect chance to go on Liverpool search amid £41m bid

The rejection of Liverpool’s second offer for Romeo Lavia may force them to focus their attention elsewhere.

The fact that Liverpool needs a new defensive midfielder is no secret, according to Jurgen Klopp.

The Reds manager barely made an attempt to downplay the importance of replacing Jordan Henderson and Fabinho when speaking to the media in Singapore.

There has been a forced revolution rather than the evolution Klopp may have anticipated in a summer that always expected significant change in Liverpool’s midfield. After their respective contracts expired, James Milner, Naby Keita, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain left their respective teams without much of a surprise. For a total of £95 million, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai duly took the place of the trio. Many people agreed that was wise business.

However, the departures of Fabinho and Reds captain Henderson were unexpected. Liverpool’s feathers were indeed ruffled by the new transfer market disruptors, Saudi Arabia. Klopp and Jorg Schmadtke, the sporting director, were compelled to start over.

The Reds’ preferred candidate to fill the position of enforcer in the middle of the park is a player named Romeo Lavia. With only 29 Premier League games under his belt, there are some questions about the 19-year-old’s experience, but Klopp and his hiring team obviously believe Lavia is up to the task. If not, they wouldn’t have made two offers.

The international player from Belgium may or may not transfer to Anfield, though.
Despite being relegated to the Championship, Southampton is holding out for £50 million, which is £9 million more than Liverpool’s rumored second offer of £41 million.

It is yet to be seen whether Liverpool will comply with the requirements if the Saints maintain their composure under pressure. They will be valued in other areas besides the south coast. The Reds will also have a cost that they think is reasonable.

A backup plan will be necessary if a fee cannon is negotiated. It makes sense to act in this way. And when Liverpool play their penultimate preseason friendly against Bayern Munich today, Klopp may well get the best look at one potential option he can.

Throughout the entire summer transfer window, Ryan Gravenberch has been mentioned. The Netherlands international, alongside Khephren Thuram, Manu Kone, and Gabri Veiga, was a name that kept coming up before Szoboszlai made a name for himself.

Only one year ago, Gravenberch paid £16 million to transfer from Ajax to Bayern. He was hailed as one of Europe’s most exciting prospects after helping the Dutch giants win three Eredivisie titles and two KNVB Cups.

But things weren’t exactly smooth during his inaugural season at the Allianz Arena. Even though Gravenberch made a total of 33 appearances and won the Bundesliga championship medal, he was largely an incidental player. The 21-year-old received a pitiful six starts, and he was benched 14 times.

Gravenberch will undoubtedly be hoping to contribute more significantly in the 2023–24 campaign. That may not be the case, however, as suggested by Thomas Tuchel’s preseason team selections. The last two games were started by Konrad Laimer and Joshua Kimmich. Meanwhile, the desire for another engine-room operator is indicated by the fact that Bayern was interested in signing Declan Rice before his £105 million transfer from West Ham to Arsenal.

If Bayern did indeed approve a departure, Gravenberch might decide to weigh his options as a result. Therefore, a strong showing against Liverpool could very well persuade Klopp that Gravenberch is someone who can fill the void left by Fabinho.

Another potential Lavia replacement that Liverpool has identified is the Fluminese midfielder Andre. The fact that he hasn’t played in either the Premier League or Europe raises some doubts, though.
There would probably be a period of acclimatization.

In 2023–2024, the Premier League won’t have many teams that are better than Liverpool. Gravenberch may very well demonstrate his suitability for the job with an arresting performance.