Liverpool ‘to submit bid’ for Romeo Lavia as Saudis eye Henderson and Fabinho

Liverpool will reportedly submit their first bid for Southampton ace Romeo Lavia once Jordan Henderson has informed the Reds of his final decision over a transfer to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq. Jurgen Klopp is overseeing a midfield transformation at Anfield following a dismal season last time around, with Fabinho also currently being heavily linked with a move to the Middle East.

Klopp has already delved into the transfer market this summer to land Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton and lure Dominik Szoboszlai away from RB Leipzig. The German has also been keen to move for Lavia ahead of the new campaign, with recent reports suggesting there would have to be outgoings before a third midfielder arrived.

Al-Ettifaq, who are managed by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, could complete the signing of Henderson after the England international supposedly reached a verbal agreement with the Saudi club on Thursday. Fabinho, meanwhile, is reportedly set to be the subject of a £40m bid from Al-Ittihad and would link-up with former Real Madrid star Karim Benzema and ex-Chelsea ace N’Golo Kante if he were to put pen-to-paper on a deal at the club.

According to RMC Sport, Liverpool are waiting for Henderson’s final word over a move to Al-Ettifaq before sending in a bid for Lavia. The Southampton teenager, who doesn’t turn 20 until January, has already spoken to Klopp and wants to play for the Merseysiders.

Klopp believes the midfield genius is a big prospect for the future and has been waiting for space to free up in his squad. And personal terms between the Reds and Lavia will not be a problem.

Lavia joined Southampton for an initial £10.5m after being deemed surplus to requirements at Manchester City. The youngster impressed during his maiden campaign in Hampshire and featured 34 times for the club in all competitions. But he wasn’t able to prevent the team from being relegated to the Championship as the Saints won just six Premier League games all season and finished bottom of the top-flight table.

Liverpool endured their own struggles last term and missed out on a place in this season’s Champions League after finishing fifth in the Premier League table.

Klopp’s midfield came under fire time and time again after Henderson, Fabinho and Thiago failed to hit their usual standards for large parts of the campaign. And Klopp may now believe that sacrificing two of his midfield maestros could be a price worth paying if it means Lavia can join Mac Allister and Szoboszlai to help his team compete for silverware once again.