Southampton rejected an opening offer of £34m, plus £4m in add-ons from Liverpool for Romeo Lavia last week; Saints want £50m for the midfielder who has four years left on his contract; Liverpool have made contact with Fluminese over midfielder Andre
Tuesday 1 August 2023 23:03, UK
Southampton have rejected Liverpool's improved bid for Romeo Lavia, while Jurgen Klopp's side have officially made contact with Fluminense over the possibility of signing midfielder Andre.
Sky Sports News understands the Merseysiders' new offer for Lavia was still below an initial £40m, with Saints wanting £50m for the Belgian international.
The total package took them closer to that asking price, but, with a compromise yet to be reached, Liverpool are now considering alternative options, including Brazil international Andre.
The club's interest in the 22-year-old was heightened when he won his first cap for Brazil as a substitute in their friendly 4-2 defeat to Senegal in June.
Fluminense are reluctant to let Andre exit this summer, but the player is sold on a transfer to Anfield and a fee in the region of £20m has been mooted.
Liverpool retain an interest in Lavia, and, in an ideal situation, they would like to bring in two new midfielders and a defender before the close of the window.
Southampton rejected an opening offer for Lavia of £34m plus £4m in add-ons from Liverpool last week.
Lavia, also of interest to Chelsea, remains keen on a switch to Anfield and Sky Sports News understands personal terms with both clubs are not expected to be a problem.
Lavia has four years left on his Southampton contract after joining from Manchester City last summer but is expected to leave after Saints were relegated from the Premier League at the end of last season.
Klopp has already brought in two new midfielders this summer after the arrivals of Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton in a £35m deal, followed by that of Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig for £60m.
Those new signings have replaced departing midfielders James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita, while captain Jordan Henderson and Brazil international Fabinho have both recently moved to the Saudi Pro League.
Who will be on the move this summer when the transfer window opens on June 14 and closes at 11pm on September 1 in England and midnight in Scotland?
Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
