Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia is a target for Liverpool this summer.
The Belgian is one of the in-demand players that the Saints could lose ahead of their first season back in the Championship following their relegation from the Premier League. Russell Martin is the new man in charge at St Mary's after the club opted against making Ruben Selles' caretaker stint permanent.
It was a difficult campaign on the south coast after Ralph Hasenhuttl was subsequently replaced by Luton Town boss Nathan Jones. The Welshman struggled to steer Southampton clear of the relegation zone despite beating Everton and he was relieved of his duties following their form.
Meanwhile, Liverpool have welcomed Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai through the doors at Anfield this summer. Preliminary talks have been held with the representatives of the Belgian, Lavia, as the Reds could make their third midfield acquisition ahead of the upcoming Premier League season.
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Reds fans will be familiar with Lavia as he inadvertently assisted Liverpool's opener in their enthralling encounter last season. Diogo Jota fired into the gaping net on the final day of the season as Southampton looked to play out from the back.
Jan Bednarek passed back to Alex McCarthy who looked to midfield to build their attack, the Belgian tried to complete the triangle with a pass back to the defender but found the Portugal international as a result.
It was a horrific mistake for the youngster, but fans shouldn't judge him on that.
Who is Liverpool target Romeo Lavia?
Romeo Lavia is a 19-year-old midfielder who has grown through the ranks at the highly respected RSC Anderlecht academy. He called time on his eight-year spell with the Belgian giants in 2020 as he swapped Brussels for Manchester - signing for Manchester City.
He made over 30 appearances for their U21s winning two Premier League 2 titles and made his bow for the senior Citizens in the Carabao Cup against Wycombe before making a second, and only, appearance in the FA Cup against Swindon Town.
Last July, Southampton completed the signing of the midfielder for a fee which could rise to £14m after the initial deal was believed to be worth £10.5m with a 20 per cent sell-on clause included.
It has been reported that City have a buy-back option for the Belgium international, who made his debut in March against Germany during an international friendly.
What position does Romeo Lavia play?
Romeo Lavia is a central midfielder but he predominantly plays as in a holding position.
In his debut season with Southampton, he made 22 appearances in front of the back-four with an additional seven outings in central midfield, scoring his one and only goal.
Among his strengths are interceptions and breaking the lines with his bursting runs through midfield with potential comparisons drawn with Fabinho with his tackling capabilities.
How much could Romeo Lavia cost?
According to reports, Romeo Lavia is currently worth a price in the region of £40m to £50m with Southampton valuing him at the latter, according to the Daily Mail.
Who does Romeo Lavia play like?
Romeo Lavia has already detailed that he has tried to emulate his game around iconic Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets and Manchester City stalwart Fernandinho.
"I’ve watched a lot of Fernandinho and [Sergio] Busquets," he told Goal. “Those two have dominated the game as defensive midfielders. I’ve looked at them a lot.
"Fernandinho knows what he’s doing - he doesn’t run just to run. He’s like the brain of the team.
"When you’re young you want to run - left, right - but he knows what he’s doing so he won’t run as much, but will still be effective. That’s something I keep learning from him.
"I’ve spoke to him but not in person because of Covid, so just on social media."
He was one of the key members of Enzo Maresca's side in the youth ranks at the Etihad as they dominated the Premier League 2.
In a snippet offering insight into his approach to his midfield role, he detailed how City influenced his role as a ball-playing holding midfielder. He said: "I really enjoy recovering the ball and pass through the line.
"Enzo's [Maresca] helped me a lot with that, always being on the half-turn so I can see the game going forward, so it’s not a problem now.
"I know that I’ve got my qualities, but if I do something wrong they help me. Obviously my team-mates have got experience - some of them have trained with the first team. They’ve helped me a lot and I’ll keep learning."
What has been said about Romeo Lavia?
There has been a lot of glowing praise surrounding the 19-year-old. Former Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl declared his ambition to make him into a "top-class player".
"We know his qualities but we try and be positive with him, but also critical because we want to make him a top-class player," the Austrian said.
"It is important for those players to not get immediate praise for their okay or good performances, but also be critical with the things he has to make better.
"What I like about these young lads is they seem to be very self-critical and want to learn, and want to have input all the time. This is a very good character I think to get better, because when you think you are a superstar it is hard to make them better."
Theo Walcott was a team-mate of Lavia during his debut season at St Mary's. And the former Everton attacker detailed a quality the Belgian possesses that stood out.
"I'm a big fan [of Lavia]," he added telling talkSPORT in January. "He's obviously had a few injuries but he's coming back. He's young, he's 18/19 when he's off the field but when he's on the field, it's mad.
"It's like he's played over 200 games in the Premier League, that's how much I rate him. It's very interesting to see, watching him from the stands, obviously it looks so easy from the stands, it always does.
"You probably know that watching us, 'he should make that run or make that pass', it's not as straightforward as that, but when I watch him I'm like, 'you look way above your age right now'.
"It's a good sign and hopefully we can keep him fit. They are all learning, but in particular he's learning quicker than normal I would say."
What has been reported?
The ECHO understands Romeo Lavia of Southampton is on the radar after an impressive individual campaign in his first full season as a Premier League player. The Belgium international is just 19 but managed to feature 29 times and stood out in a Saints side that ultimately couldn't stave off relegation.
The interest in Lavia is genuine and Liverpool have kept tabs on his development since he moved to the south coast from Man City last year. His inexperience could yet count against him though where a potential move is concerned. At the sort of price being mentioned, Liverpool usually prefer players to have played anywhere between 150-200 senior games, where Lavia has less than 40.
Senior Anfield sources have insisted their interest has not gone beyond the due diligence process at present but he is most certainly a player whose ceiling and current ability means he is well liked within the club. As seen by the sudden move for Szoboszlai, Liverpool move swiftly when the green light is given.
