Liverpool have agreed a £60 million deal with Southampton to sign Romeo Lavia, according to the Guardian.
However, the Reds must still convince the Belgium international midfielder to choose them over Chelsea.
Lavia is currently in London as he wants to complete a move to join the Blues, and whether Liverpool can manage to pip them to his signature remains to be seen.
They have lost Moises Caicedo to Chelsea despite agreeing a £110m deal with Brighton and Hove Albion last Friday, with the Ecuador international preferring the Blues ahead of Liverpool.
The Stamford Bridge outfit have tabled £115m for the 21-year-old and he is set to undergo his medical today ahead of a switch.
Manager Jurgen Klopp is in dire need of midfield reinforcements after losing Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and James Milner this summer, and losing the race for both Caicedo and Lavia to Chelsea would be a bitter pill to swallow.
Liverpool are ready to splash the cash, but it appears the players they want do not want them, and they need to look elsewhere for the quality additions their midfield badly needs.
They kicked off their Premier League campaign yesterday with a 1-1 draw against Chelsea, and the stats from the game underlined their need for more steel and verve in the middle of the park.
The Anfield club only had 35% possession and made 377 passes while the hosts made 698 passes, and failure to bring in a top midfielder could hinder their chances of impressing this term.
Liverpool will have to look elsewhere as both Caicedo and Lavia are off to Chelsea from the look of things, and they need to ensure the right player is landed as they cannot afford to get such a crucial decision wrong.
