Liverpool feel that Romeo Lavia was not worth Southampton’s asking price this summer, but went for him anyway because they needed a signing in that position.
That’s according to LFC expert Neil Jones in his latest exclusive column for CaughtOffside, with the journalist stating that the Reds did not view Lavia as being worth £50million, and he’s now ended up joining Chelsea for slightly more than that.
Blues supporters surely won’t care as they’ve now beaten Liverpool to two top midfield talents in Lavia and Moises Caicedo, and it also leaves the Merseyside giants with plenty to do before the end of the summer transfer window.
Lavia may have been a tad over-priced, as have been many players in this current market, but Liverpool fans will surely be left a tad frustrated that their club didn’t do more to get this deal over the line ahead of a major top four rival.
“On top of the Caicedo news came another blow for Liverpool, with Romeo Lavia also bound for Chelsea,” Jones said. “This, in many ways, will hurt the Reds more. Not because he’s a better player – he most certainly is not – but because this is a deal that Liverpool could and should have had sewn up.
“Lavia has been on their radar for months, and they have had three bids rejected earlier this summer. Their reluctance to meet Southampton’s asking price, which has always been £50m, has cost them, as has their dramatic pivot towards Caicedo last week.
“And what this also does is bring Liverpool’s policy of ‘seeking value’ into sharp focus. They didn’t believe Lavia was worth £50m, which is fine. I actually agree. He isn’t. But in the end, they were willing to pay it because they needed a player, and they were still not able to get him.
“Now, when they switch their attentions elsewhere, they have only two-and-a-bit weeks to get someone in, and everyone knows they have money to spend. How likely are they to find value now?”