Liverpool have had a third bid rejected for Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia.
The latest offer for the 19-year-old Belgian is believed to have been about £46m including add-ons, with Southampton reportedly wanting £50m.
Lavia was an unused substitute when Southampton started their Championship campaign with a 2-1 win against Sheffield Wednesday on Friday.
He joined Saints from Manchester City last summer for £10.5m.
Lavia made 34 appearances in all competitions for Southampton in 2022-23 but was unable to help them avoid relegation from the Premier League to the Championship.
Liverpool are looking to reinforce their midfield with a third signing in that area of the pitch following Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all leaving the club this summer.
Manager Jurgen Klopp has acquired World Cup-winning Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton in June for an initial £35m, while Dominik Szoboszlai joined the Reds in a £60m deal from RB Leipzig in July.
Liverpool finish pre-season with win
One of the attributes which attracted Liverpool to Mac Allister was his versatility.
He played in a defensive midfield role on Monday – compared to the more attacking position he has occupied in previous games – as the Reds ended their pre-season campaign with a 3-1 win against Darmstadt 98.
Mohamed Salah, whose agent earlier said the Egypt forward remained committed to the Anfield side amid speculation linking him with a move to Saudi Arabia, scored early on.
Salah set up Diogo Jota to add Liverpool’s second before Mathias Honsak pulled one back for the Bundesliga side.
Colombia forward Luis Diaz flicked in a right-footed near-post finish from a Szoboszlai corner in the second half to round off the win for Klopp’s side.
Liverpool start their Premier League campaign with a match at Chelsea on Sunday at 16:30 BST.
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