Southampton’s manager provides an update on Romeo Lavia after Liverpool and Chelsea moves

After the  of Liverpool and Chelsea, Romeo Lavia, who is wanted by Liverpool, is close to leaving the team, according to Southampton manager Russell Martin.

Following the midfielder’s exclusion from the Saints’ matchday squad on Saturday, Russell Martin acknowledged Romeo Lavia is nearing a Southampton exit.

The 19-year-old has yet to make an appearance this season after being an unused substitute on the first day of the campaign against Sheffield Wednesday. He was once more absent for Southampton’s 4-4 draw with Norwich City after being completely left out of the matchday squad for their shocking League Cup loss to Gillingham in the middle of the week.

Southampton turned down Liverpool’s most recent offer of £46 million on Monday, making it their third bid for the Belgian international to be rejected. Since then, Chelsea has also had a £48 million offer rejected by the Saints, but they are reportedly closing in on a deal for £52 million plus $3 million in add-ons.

The Reds’ club-record £110 million bid for Moises Caicedo, however, complicates the situation. The player is rumored to prefer a move to Stamford Bridge, and Chelsea is reportedly planning to make a higher offer, but no such bid has yet been made. It follows that both players’ futures are still up in the air.

Because of the impact of the ongoing rumors about his future, Martin has also confirmed that Lavia was not involved in the game against Norwich.

The Saints manager admitted that he did not include the teen in his matchday squad because “he wasn’t in the right frame of mind to play,” according to journalist Mark McAdam. “.

Martin is cited by Alfie House of the Southern Daily Echo as saying: “He has been great while his situation has rumbled on for a long time. For him, for us, for really everyone, that needs to come to a close soon.

It is “eeking slowly towards a conclusion and I think we have been preparing for life without him for the six weeks we have been here so it’s not a huge drama. “.

It is still unknown whether Liverpool plans to make a fourth offer for Lavia if they lose out to Chelsea for Caicedo or whether the Londoners can actually afford to sign both players.

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Liverpool ought to swoop in and steal Mikel Arteta ‘next Joko Gvardiol’ as Arsenal makes a $22 million offer.

According to reports, Mikel Arteta has a center-back who will follow Joko Gvardiol’s example on his radar, but Liverpool should try to outbid him in the transfer market.

Joko Gvardiol joining Manchester City this summer already seems like a significant addition to Pep Guardiola’s squad. And it’s only fair that Liverpool supporters will look on the transaction with a great deal of envy, especially given the urgent need for the club to add more center-backs at Anfield.

Given that he grew up supporting Liverpool and that Jürgen Klopp prefers to use a high press, high line system at Anfield, Gvardiol would have been the ideal fit. Unfortunately, the club was unable to afford the $99 million (£78 million/€90 million) price tag.

However, there are still many players available who fit Liverpool’s budget, including one who is following Gvardiol at Dinamo Zagreb.

Center back Josip utalo, 23, a Dinamo Zagreb academy product like Gvardiol, has even shared the field with Manchester City’s new acquisition for the club’s youth teams, including in the UEFA Youth League match against Liverpool in 2019.

Compared to Gvardiol, utalo was more of a late bloomer; his big break at Dinamo came the same year that Gvardiol left the team, and his former teammate took advantage of that time to make the first team after spending time on loan at NK Istra.

Utalo is a tall, swift presence in the back who is calm under pressure. He would be a perfect fit for Liverpool’s back line because he is comfortable playing on both the left and right side of a back four.

To demonstrate his talent, according to Wyscout, he had the second-best defensive duel success rate in the Champions League last season, winning 79.14% of his challenges despite playing teams like Chelsea, Red Bull Salzburg, and AC Milan.

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Liverpool are considering a move for the 25-year-old left-back to the Premier League

Liverpool are reportedly considering signing Brighton and Hove Albion full-back Pervis Estupinan.

This according to a recent report from Football Transfers, according to which Jurgen Klopp is already making plans for Andy Robertson’s long-term successor.

The 25-year-old Estupinan had a strong season with the Seagulls last time out. Following his £18m transfer from Villarreal just over 12 months ago, Brighton’s versatile number 30 has shown all the signs of becoming a top-flight left-back in the Premier League.

And with Robertson turning 30 early next year, the Scotsman will eventually need to be replaced and, according to these latest reports, there are initial concerns over the former Hull City defender’s fitness.

Fans may be surprised to hear these reports; Especially considering the Reds’ reliable number 26 started 26 Premier League games last season – the same number of home games as last season.

Nonetheless, Estupinan quickly became one of England’s most influential full-backs; As a player who can defend and attack, Klopp could do much worse when it comes to a potential replacement for a player who was undoubtedly one of his best performers during his tenure.