Liverpool and Southampton close to reaching an agreement for Romeo Lavia

Liverpool are on the verge of striking a deal with Southampton for midfielder Romeo Lavia, according to Foot Mercato.

Both clubs have been in negotiations over the last couple of weeks as Liverpool look to snap up Lavia following Southampton’s relegation from the Premier League.

The Reds have already had an opening offer rejected, with Southampton holding out for a fee in the region of £50 million.

Looking to fend off competition from Arsenal and Chelsea, Liverpool are now reportedly closing to concluding the deal having already agreed personal terms with Lavia.

Liverpool have signed Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai this summer, but Jordan Henderson’s recent departure and the impending exit of Fabinho has left them needing further midfield reinforcements.

Lavia looks to have a bright future ahead of him as he prepares to change clubs for a second consecutive year having only just joined Southampton last summer.

Fellow midfielder James Ward-Prowse is also set to follow Lavia out of the door amid interest from West Ham United and Newcastle United.

As they prepare to bid goodbye to two key stars, Southampton will be looking to put their dismal pre-season campaign behind them.

The Saints managed just one win from five matches and were beaten 3-2 and 1-0 in their most recent encounters against Bournemouth and AZ Alkmaar respectively.

Russell Martin’s’ men kick off life in the second tier of English football with a clash against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough on Friday.