After a prolonged period of speculation, Liverpool has finally opened talks with Southampton over a deal for midfielder for Roméo Lavia.
According to journalist Sacha Tavolieri, Lavia had grown a 'little annoyed' at the delay, with Fabrizio Romano claiming that the Reds had been in discussions with the player's camp for 'more than a month' before making a move.
Now, though, an agreement has apparently been reached on personal terms, and Liverpool is aiming to hash out an acceptable fee with the relegated Saints.
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Sure enough, on Monday, Jürgen Klopp's submitted an opening offer of $48m (£37m/€43m) for the 19-year-old, one that Southampton rejected as it seeks a fee of $64m (£50m/€58m) instead, according to The Athletic.
You can certainly see why Lavia appeals. Perhaps his standout quality is his press resistance, displayed most often when he receives the ball at the beginning of Southampton's build-up phase and adeptly evades the first wave of opposition pressure.
He ranks in the 75th percentile among midfielders in the big five leagues for successful take-ons per 90 minutes (1.13), and is only tackled 26 per cent of the time, which shows that his combination of athleticism and technical skill makes him particularly elusive.
After taking it from the center-backs or the goalkeeper, Lavia is able to pick out an incisive ball to set his team on the front foot. Among all Southampton players, only James Ward-Prowse (189) recorded more progressive passes than the Belgian (102), and he was also the only player who beat him for passes into the final third (177 vs 101).
Even though he's ambitious with his distribution, then, he boasts an excellent retention rate. He led the Southampton ranks last season for passing accuracy (86.2 per cent), and also lost possession 8.4 times per 90 minutes, the best record of any of the team's main midfielders.
![Roméo Lavia is similar in profile to a new Man City player](https://i2-prod.liverpool.com/incoming/article27391540.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_GettyImages-1553868619.jpg)
The Athletic suggests that Lavia is similar in profile to Manchester City's new $45m (£35m/€38m) signing Mateo Kovačić, and the Croatian is certainly another who excels in the areas mentioned above.
Intriguingly, the Southampton man is a number six, whereas Kovacic is a number eight signed to play ahead of Rodri, the world-class Spaniard who effectively blocked Lavia's path to first-team football at the Etihad.
In a way, though, their closeness likeness points to Liverpool's imminent evolution. Yes, he'll be able to replace Fabinho as a ball-winner (even if it takes him a while to hit the same heights), but he'll also offer different qualities to the Brazilian, who isn't especially press-resistant or progressive.
It remains to be seen whether Fabinho's proposed $52m (£40m/€46m) move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad goes through — the deal is hanging is presently hanging in the balance, as per The Athletic — but whether Lavia is the long-term heir or the immediate replacement, he offers Klopp some exciting new possibilities.
By taking a leaf out of Pep Guardiola's book, the German can implement a new midfield blueprint at Anfield and continue the Reds' evolution as Klopp's new-look team unfolds.