Having fired the starting pistol early in their summer recruitment with the addition of Brighton & Hove Albion’s Alexis Mac Allister, Liverpool now appear to have the bit between their teeth.
From rumoured interest to the deal being signed, the acquisition of Dominik Szoboszlai for £60m from RB Leipzig was done and dusted in less than a week, with the Reds moving quickly to engage after it emerged the 22-year-old Hungarian attacking midfielder’s release clause was to expire at the end of June.
That would have emboldened Leipzig to either try and keep hold of their most prized asset, or at least for them to eke more money out of the deal that they would have received if his release clause was exercised.
As with Mac Allister, Liverpool sought to underpay in relation to the true market value of the player due to their keen eye for a deal. Mac Allister could have wound down his contract at Brighton last year, but he signed an extension with both parties acknowledging, in reality, that it wouldn’t reach its 2025 conclusion. It was done to get him a better deal, but also for Brighton to get a better deal and remove some risk when it came to selling him.
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A similar tactic was in play with Szoboszlai, although his heftier release clause was one that made for a beneficial deal for all parties involved.
This summer is vitally important for Liverpool in terms of their recruitment strategy. They need to remodel an ageing squad through adding the kind of quality with longevity and potential that can help them overcome the bitter disappointment of last season and missing out on the Champions League, the Reds instead forced to settle for fifth place and the Europa League.
Names such as Khephren Thuram and Manu Kone have been heavily linked for some time, as was Mac Allister before his arrival at the start of the summer window.
The ECHO understands Southampton’s Romeo Lavia is also under consideration, the 19-year-old Belgian having been the breakout star of an otherwise dismal Premier League campaign in 2022/23 for Southampton as the Saints were relegated to the Championship after finishing at the foot of the table.
Lavia arrived at Southampton last summer from Manchester City on a five-year deal. With the wealth of quality in front of him in the midfield ranks, Lavia opted for pastures new in an attempt to burnish his reputation as one of the Premier League’s most exciting new talents.
City looked to protect their own interests by inserting a £40m buyback clause in the deal with the Saints, one that would be active in 2024. But such has been the pace that Lavia has excelled in what was a poor Southampton team, City may now wish that buyback clause was a year earlier.
Speaking in April, City boss Pep Guardiola said: “I'm really impressed with what Romeo has done, and is doing. We have an incredible opinion of him.
“We thought to keep him, but thought we couldn't give him enough minutes like he has at Southampton."
Bringing back Lavia into the fold so early probably isn’t in the plan for City, nor would he likely be too keen to risk undoing the good having such exposure to first team football has done for his career and reputation. Southampton would no doubt welcome the interest to spark some kind of bidding war, with Arsenal also rumoured admirers of Lavia.
A price tag of £50m this summer has been the reported number it would take to facilitate a move for Lavia. With Arsenal set to smash their transfer record with the £105m acquisition of Declan Rice from West Ham United, and with City unlikely to pay above and beyond for a player the sold for £14m less than a year ago, Liverpool may be eyeing another quick-fire move to address their deficiencies of last season.
Timing is crucial. No club buying club wants to enter a bidding war. But in the case of Liverpool, Southampton will know that Lavia has value to the Reds on top of his skill set, with his tender age and number of years in English football meaning that he would count as 'association-trained' in the European squad list and would not need to be registered in the Premier League squad due to being under 21. He would eventually become a fully 'homegrown' player in due course. As a result, the Reds would have greater scope should they wish to add a centre-back, as is believed to be their plan.
Time is of the essence for Liverpool, and with how swift the Szoboszlai negotiations were concluded there will be some renewed confidence in the club’s recruitment strategy that they can be equally as clinical when it comes to nailing down their next signing.
