Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy believes the Premier League giants should move on to new targets if Southampton refuse to sell Romeo Lavia for less than £50 million.
If reports are to be believed, they may already be doing just that.
According to Sky Sports, Liverpool have made contact with Fluminense’s Andre Trindade as Southampton refuse to budge on their eye-watering valuation for a player who has just one season of first-team football under his belt.
This comes as The Reds submit a second bid – worth £41 million – for Romeo Lavia (The Times). There remains a near-£10 million gap in the valuation of both clubs, however, and Murphy is warning his old employers that there may be better value to be found elsewhere in the market.
Liverpool struggling to agree Romeo Lavia deal with Southampton
“I like him but there has to be a cut-off. I mean, (Manchester) City got rid of him for a reason…,” Murphy tells talkSPORT (2 August, 10.40am) of Lavia, who made only two first team appearances under Pep Guardiola before joining Southampton in 2022.
“He’s a good, athletic player, he is decent on the ball, he looks comfortable ahead of his years in many ways. But once you start going past £50 million… I think that’s a fair price for the lad.”
“Although he’s of a good age, and he’s got a lot of attributes that Klopp likes, for more than £50 million I would probably walk (away).”
Murphy does accept that a new ‘number six’ is required. Klopp himself admitted earlier this week that there is a lack of deep-lying midfielders in Liverpool’s squad following the departures of both Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to Saudi Arabia, with Curtis Jones more comfortable as a ball-carrying ‘number eight’.
“They need players like him. They definitely need him,” Murphy adds. He’s got that great awareness of danger, he is really good at mopping up danger. He is disciplined in that holding role and he can play. But £50 million-plus?
“If I was Liverpool, I would get to £50 million and then (move on) to pastures new.”
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