10 August 2023 , 04:00
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Liverpool's long-running pursuit of Romeo Lavia continues as Southampton play hardball.
The Saints are determined to get top dollar for their midfielder whilst the Reds are running out of time and need to bolster their options in that position following the unexpected departure of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to Saudi Arabia. Already several offers have been rejected.
Other avenues are being explored, but Lavia remains Jurgen Klopp's top target. There are questions for the Reds to answer after a pre-season that saw them score freely but concede more than they'd like, which has been attributed to their lack of a defensive midfielder. Here's the latest from Anfield.
Reds planning for opener with Lavia
Klopp is not expecting to have Lavia available to him for Sunday's opening game at Chelsea, meaning there will be a lack of defensive midfielder in the squad. Due to rules with registering players and transfer would need to be completed by Friday at midday and no breakthrough is imminent.
Section U.23 of the Premier League rulebook states: "Subject to the provisions of Rule V.1, the deadline for receipt by the board of all duly completed documents required by these rules to effect the registration of a player shall be 12 noon on the last working day before the date of the first league match in which the club making the application intends him to play, save that the international transfer certificate and evidence of eligibility to take up employment in the United Kingdom (in both cases if applicable) may be provided thereafter (but must be provided before the player is eligible to play for a club in a league match)."
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Romeo Lavia is heavily linked with a Southampton exit (Getty Images)Saints confident of keeping their man - for now
Southampton lost their Carabao Cup first-round match at Gillingham on Tuesday night and named a squad without Lavia in it. They won their Championship opener, which featured their much sought-after midfielder.
Saints boss Russell Martin is early in his tenure at St Mary's but doesn't predict any major changes between now and the weekend after Southampton knocked back another bid from the Reds as they stand firm on their valuation of £50m.
"There needs to be movement that suits us as a club," Martin told BBC Radio Solent on Tuesday night. "I don't envisage anything changing between now and the weekend, but it's football, right, so anything can happen."
Kalvin Phillips has seen his minutes limited at Man City (Getty Images)Phillips also a no go
With Lavia potentially not making the move north Liverpool have had to consider other players, one of which is Kalvin Phillips at rivals Manchester City. The midfielder only moved to the Etihad last summer after rising through the ranks and impressing with Leeds.
His minutes were limited however and he remains behind Rodri in the pecking order, which doesn't look set to change. Mateo Kovacic has now arrived to provide more competition but Phillips is still expected to remain, according to David Ornstein, who spoke to Hayters TV.
He said: "They (City) still have Kalvin Phillips there, despite a lot of speculation around him I do expect him to stay and fight for his place in the coming season. They went for Declan Rice so are they still looking in that position?"