With Liverpool agreeing a £60 million deal for Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia, supporters have been left torn on the fee involved.
Following the breakdown of their pursuit of Moises Caicedo, who is now poised to join Chelsea following a medical on Monday, the Reds have returned for Lavia.
The Guardian and Sky Sports are among those to report that a £60 million fee has been agreed with Southampton, though a transfer is not yet certain.
Chelsea are also interested in Lavia, who will leave St Mary’s this summer, with there a chance the same situation plays out as Sunday’s opponents vie for the same targets.
News of Liverpool’s deal for the 19-year-old comes after three unsuccessful bids that began in the last week of June, and suggests the club will pay £10 million over Southampton‘s previous asking price.
That has left fans divided over the potential move – though the prospect of Lavia joining is still an exciting one.
Some see the £60m fee as desperate…
If correct, this is absolutely farcical.
Could’ve had the player in 3 weeks ago, full pre-season, for £10m less. https://t.co/PqT293mbKN
— Matt Ladson (@mattladson) August 14, 2023
We already thought £50m was over the odds, and now we’re paying £60m presumably because we’re desperate and Chelsea are at the table ?
Could and perhaps should have had Lavia in weeks ago with some pre-season under his belt with us and even a start yesterday ?
Frustrating…
— The Redmen TV (@TheRedmenTV) August 14, 2023
All this desperation over a 19 year old. All of this has been handled so insanely bad.
— Ben Kelly (@bkelly776) August 14, 2023
“Why pay £50M for a player when you can mess around for a month lowballing the owning club, then panic when another club exceeds the asking price, and end up paying £10M more than the owning club originally wanted …”
– 666templar in the comments.
Embarrassing if Liverpool end up paying £10 million over asking price for a player they were haggling over for THREE WEEKS prior to the Caicedo situation.
— Jack Lusby (@LusbyJack) August 14, 2023
£60m on Lavia tells me we have zero alternatives.
— Green Scouser (@Green_Scouser) August 14, 2023
Southampton: We want £50m for Lavia
LFC: Here’s £43m
Southampton: We said 50m, lads
LFC: Okay, here’s £46m
Southampton: Are you taking the piss?
LFC: Okay here’s £60m
Southampton: Wtf?
— – (@AnfieldRd96) August 14, 2023
Others are still happy to see the deal get done…
If Caicedo is worth £115m then Lavia is worth £60m.
In a year’s time it could even look like the better deal.
— Kop·?ol·?o·?gy (@Kopology) August 14, 2023
So Liverpool are now prepared to spend £60m on a player they reportedly thought was overvalued at £50m. Needs must, though. The urgency of the need for a DM this late in the window is such that they’ve now left themselves little choice but to get it done.
— Joel Rabinowitz (@joel_archie) August 14, 2023
Moisés Caicedo is not 2x the player Roméo Lavia is but he’s ended up costing Chelsea that much.
Lavia might not be a £60m right now but he will quickly become that.
Get it done.
— Watch LFC (@Watch_LFC) August 14, 2023
Lavia is so agile & press-resistant that he might be able to fix some of Liverpool’s build-up issues on his own.
He’s one of those guys you can pass the ball to under any circumstance, and he’ll find a way to buy time & release pressure.
Him & Mac Allister pivot, top on-ball.
— WhattaHit (@WhattaHit) August 14, 2023
“This may be an unpopular opinion: I prefer Lavia over Caicedo by a wide margin.
Younger (I know, 2 years younger)
Cheaper buy
Lower wages
HG
Will be molded by Kloppo
Wants to be here – this to me is huge.Yes, Caicedo is probably the better player at this minute but given the contact he has with Macca and Thiago he is going to be washing dirt off in the shower next to midfield elite.
This kid is going to be special before the end of the season.”
– Scott Richmond in the comments.
Every Liverpool fan to Lavia right now: pic.twitter.com/JgzxG5OJQS
— Liam ? (@LiamMLFC) August 14, 2023
While some are now worried about another Caicedo situation…
Liverpool have outbid Chelsea for Lavia
Lavia prefers a move to Chelsea pic.twitter.com/QTgH0bilIP
— Shanky (@ShankyLFC) August 14, 2023
So the Tit for Tat goings on between Liverpool & Chelsea for Lavia & Caicedo will have cost Liverpool £14m more & Chelsea £35m more. The real winners? Southampton & Brighton. What a saga ???
— Spion Kop (@TheKopHQ) August 14, 2023
It is certainly a situation Liverpool have rarely found themselves in in recent years, with the operation under Michael Edwards and Julian Ward much slicker.
But with the club’s recruitment structure in limbo – sporting director Jorg Schmadtke remains on a flexible contract – fans may need to adapt their expectations.
A move for Caicedo was bold and showed Fenway Sports Group are willing to break the bank for a midfielder, but with that falling through, Lavia represents a strong alternative.
