Liverpool and Chelsea are firmly in the race for Romeo Lavia, but Arsenal remain in the wings for the Southampton midfielder.

Florian Plettenberg reports that talks between Liverpool and Romeo Lavia are concrete and ongoing, though the two parties are yet to reach an agreement on his salary.

Plettenberg claims the midfielder’s price tag is around £50m, with Jurgen Klopp keen on the signing.

Elsewhere, the Mail+ Transfer Confidential newsletter claims that Chelsea will join Liverpool in the race, looking at Lavia as an alternative to the signing of Brighton’s Moises Caicedo.

The Blues offered £50m for Lavia in January, though that was obviously prior to Southampton’s relegation.

The Mail claim Arsenal and Manchester United remain in the wings for the deal, waiting on their own departures. From Arsenal’s point of view, it seems a move for Lavia would be dependent on an exit for Thomas Partey.

Southampton are seemingly expecting Lavia to leave, lining up replacements. They’re pushing to sign Manchester City’s Shea Charles, and they also discussed an unlikely move for Leicester City’s Hamza Choudhury.

Manchester City don’t appear to be in the race for Lavia, but they would earn up to 20% of the eventual transfer fee through a sell-on clause.

Lavia joined Southampton from City last summer, with a £40m buyback clause in his contract.

However, that clause is only active from the summer of 2024, so this summer represents an opportunity for another club to take advantage.

Arsenal have reportedly made direct contact with Lavia and Southampton, but they’re yet to formalise an offer.

The Times previously claimed that Arsenal were ready to move for Lavia after finalising their deal for Declan Rice, but it now seems to be dependent on outgoings.

There are plenty of players who could leave the club for a fee this summer, but Granit Xhaka and youth player Nikolaj Moller are the only ones to do so at this stage.