Liverpool hopes of signing Romeo Lavia may hinge on Saudi Arabia bid

Liverpool’s hopes of signing Romeo Lavia from Southampton this summer could hinge on whether their current midfielder Thiago quits Anfield to join a club in Saudi Arabia. The Reds have already brought in reinforcements in the centre of the pitch but could decide to splash the cash on Lavia to make it a hat-trick of midfield signings.

Liverpool were far from their best last season as they were dumped out of the cup competitions in the early rounds before finishing fifth in the Premier League table. And after missing out on Champions League qualification, manager Jurgen Klopp has attempted to fix his side’s problem midfield area by handing Brighton £35million for Alexis Mac Allister and giving RB Leipzig £60m in exchange for Dominik Szoboszlai.

Recent reports have suggested that Thiago has already rejected a move to Saudi Arabia. But, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, those approaches came four or five weeks ago and were not proper bids or advanced negotiations. There is currently nothing concrete in the pipeline and Thiago’s priority is to stay with Liverpool for the final year of his contract.

If a Saudi club do come in with a mega-money offer, Klopp could well persuade Thiago to move on in order to make room for Lavia. But for now, the 32-year-old appears to be staying put.