Liverpool ‘agree’ deal to sign Lavia – but star still favours Chelsea transfer

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Liverpool have agreed a £60million deal to sign Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia, despite the fact he prefers a move to Chelsea.

The Blues were expected to tie up a deal for the 19-year-old Belgian in the coming days, in addition to sealing a £115m deal for Brighton's Moises Caicedo, but Liverpool have made a late attempt to hijack the move.

Chelsea haven't agreed a fee with Southampton yet, with their latest bid of £55m still on the table, but Lavia is reportedly keen on moving to Stamford Bridge and may need some convincing to sign for Jurgen Klopp's outfit.

The news is the latest dramatic twist in a fascinating tug of war between the two clubs for both Lavia and Caicedo over the past few days.

READ MORE: Liverpool fans despair as Chelsea 'agree fee for Moises Caicedo and close on Romeo Lavia'

Liverpool have been locked in talks with Southampton over a move for Lavia for weeks and appeared to be closing in on an agreement before they suddenly changed tack and submitted a sensational £111m bid for Caicedo on Thursday in an attempt to hijack Chelsea's move.

In response, Chelsea submitted an opening bid for Lavia, and looked set to sign both him and Caicedo in a sensational double swoop once news broke that the Ecuadorian had rejected Liverpool's approach.

But the Merseyside club appear to have wrestled back control of the situation and now stand a good chance of signing Lavia, who, unlike Caicedo, has always been open to a move to Anfield.

Will Liverpool sign Lavia or will he end up at Chelsea? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Klopp is desperate to sign a defensive midfielder before the transfer window closes, particularly after losing Fabinho to Saudi Arabia last month.

Caicedo and Declan Rice were mooted as possible options earlier in the year, but Liverpool appeared to rule themselves out due to the players' respective £100m+ price tags. They later turned their attention to Lavia and had three bids rejected, the latest of which was worth £45m.

Despite baulking at Southampton's £50m asking price, Liverpool now look set to pay considerably more than that after gambling, and losing, by attempting to hijack Chelsea's Caicedo move.

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