James Pearce admitted he couldn’t believe that negotiations were still ongoing between Liverpool and Southampton for Romeo Lavia
Pearce was quick to point out the flawed logic behind criticism of the club’s talks.
Much fan critique has revolved around the Reds’ patient approach to hitting upon the right valuation
Pearce:
“As we sit here now, those discussions and negotiations are still ongoing,” the Athletic reporter told the Walk On podcast.
“It just seems to have dragged on. As we reported on Monday before Liverpool’s final friendly against Darmstadt at Preston, they put in a third bid that had been rejected.
If you include the add-ons, it was about £46m. Southampton sticking to their guns that the valuation is £50m plus.
“I know a few people have said to me ‘for the sake of £4-5m, what on earth are we doing?’ but I think that’s probably a little too simplistic because it’s also about the structure of the deal.
"We don’t know how much of that £46m Liverpool put in that third bid, how much of it was guaranteed, how much of it was linked to performance-related add-ons, because we know Southampton turned down £50m from Chelsea last year, not long after they actually signed him from Man City."
“They regard Lavia as one of the best young players in the world in his position and are adamant that they won’t budge from that.
“I can’t quite believe we’re still sat here talking about ‘will it happen, or won’t it happen’ and I really hope by that time this podcast goes out that it has happened but at the moment there’s no agreement.”
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