Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia rejects Liverpool and agrees £50m Chelsea move in another transfer blow

Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia has rejected Liverpool and agreed a £50m move to join Chelsea in another huge transfer blow after Moises Caicedo chosed Stamford Bridge over Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp’s men have been left frustrated in the last week after Caicedo opted to join Chelsea despite Liverpool agreeing to a £111million fee with Brighton.

Now Belgian teenager Lavia is also set to follow suit and choose Chelsea instead of Liverpool. The Reds had three bids turned down for the 19-year-old, with the most recent attempt of £45m falling £5m short of Southampton’s asking price.

The club were reluctant to pay £50m for a player with just one year of top-flight experience.

Lavia agreed terms with Chelsea on a move on Monday, with a fee of £50m plus add-ons set to be finalised in the coming days.

It leaves Liverpool in desperate need of a holding midfielder after Jordan Henderson and Fabinho both left this summer for Saudi.