Southampton’s Romeo Lavia got cold feet about joining Liverpool with the Belgian midfielder now set to join Premier League rivals Chelsea for £58 million.
Jamie Carragher, after hearing that Liverpool had failed with yet another bid for the former Manchester City starlet, wasted little time in taking to Twitter to express his bemusement.
Liverpool’s approach to signing Romeo Lavia, he said, was becoming a little ‘embarrassing’.
“If you don’t think he’s worth £50 million move on. If you really want him, pay it!,” Carragher argued; a third bid worth £46 million rejected by Southampton in the first week of August (BBC Sport).
According to Belgian reporter Sacha Tavolieri, Carragher was not the only one frustrated by Liverpool’s negotiating tactics. Lavia too became increasingly exasperated with their approach; Jurgen Klopp’s side only meeting Southampton’s asking price after discovering that Chelsea had done the same.
Liverpool miss out to Chelsea for Romeo Lavia
“Sources told (me that) Romeo Lavia felt Liverpool played with him. That’s why he decided to go to Chelsea,” Tavolieri writes on Twitter.
“He was there, waiting for them (Liverpool). And he felt like they didn’t consider him as a priority. A sign of this was that, when he was waiting for them, while negotiating, he realised that Liverpool were already seeking other options.”
Those ‘other options’ included Moises Caicedo. Liverpool appeared to move on from Lavia last week – submitting a British record £111 million bid for the Brighton and Hove Albion ace.
Following another twist in this Shyamaylan-style saga, Caicedo opted for Chelsea instead. Lavia has now done the same, doubts seemingly growing about how much Liverpool really wanted him in the first place after that aborted dalliance with Caicedo.
Another blow for Jurgen Klopp
“Chelsea has always kept the same line, with the same message to the player. Liverpool wasted too much time last week with low offers before Chelsea’s assault,” Tavolieri adds.
“That’s one of the reasons why he will be a Chelsea player next season, even if his initial personal preference was the Reds.”
Lavia, per Sky Sports, will join Caicedo at Stamford Bridge to the tune of £58 million.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
