Liverpool have been credited with an interest for Southampton star Romeo Lavia for several months now, with the Belgium international on the club's shortlist of options this summer.
Jurgen Klopp has received all the plaudits for the exceptional job he has done on Merseyside since arriving in 2015, but the Reds collapsed this season after chasing a historic quadruple last year, and major surgery is now paramount.
World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister has already been signed for a bargain £35m following the departures of midfield trio James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, but further firepower is expected, with Fabrizio Romano confirming that the outfit are in the market for two more midfielders.
And according to The Athletic's James Pearce, the 19-year-old Lavia could soon don the Liverpool shirt, and is considered a part of the core cluster of centre-midfield targets for the club.
Football Insider have also recently claimed that contact has been made with the player's representatives, with Chelsea and Manchester United also both intrigued – a fee of around £40m would likely be enough to prompt the relegated Saints to seriously consider allowing their prodigy to leave.
How good is Romeo Lavia?
While the former Manchester City youngster suffered the ignominy of Premier League relegation last term, the teenage gem can hold his head high after belying his tender age and top-flight inexperience with assured and composed performances from the anchoring role in the south coast club's midfield.
Reporter Benjy Nurick had high praise after one performance earlier this year, saying: "Romeo Lavia was an absolute monster tonight. Quite possibly the best midfielder on the pitch."
The one-cap prodigy has recorded an average league rating of 6.8 – as per Sofascore – and exhibited his skills by completing 86% of his passes, making 2.1 tackles per game and succeeding with an extraordinary 68% of his dribbles, which bodes well as Klopp seeks out progressive players to enhance his midfield.
He could be the "perfect" – as stated by reporter Nick Emms – component to ensure that Trent Alexander-Arnold's late-season purple patch is cemented after a year which highlighted his defensive frailties and left the full-back at the epicentre of Liverpool's woes.
As per The Athletic, the crux of Liverpool's strife this year has been down to the midfield's inability to protect the defence, sapped of vitality and devoid of confidence, and Lavia could fix this and subsequently unlock the full might of Alexander-Arnold's creative arsenal.
As per FBref, Lavia ranks among the top 4% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for rate of blocks per 90, which only further strengthens the claim that, despite still being a budding prospect, he is en route to becoming one of the most dogged in the midfield business.
With Alexander-Arnold now flourishing in his new, inverted role – providing seven assists in the last ten league games of last season, the youthful exuberance of Lavia could ensure that Anfield steps into the new season firing across all cylinders, holding the centre of Klopp's squad together with an iron-clad grip and acting as the midfield 'monster' to allow his creative-centric teammates like the right-back to thrive.