Southampton chief executive Phil Parsons has confirmed that the club has no intention of allowing Romeo Lavia to leave this summer on ‘the cheap’.
Liverpool have seen two bids rejected by the Saints for the 19-year-old who is also attracting interest from several clubs including Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United.
The Reds’ initial bid worth £34m plus £4m in add-ons was dismissed by the South Coast side while their second and improved offer of around £41m for Lavia was also rejected last week.
He is keen on moving to Anfield, however, Liverpool would have to meet Southampton’s asking price to complete the deal.
The Belgium U-21 international featured in 34 games and made two goals contributions in all competitions for the club in his debut season, having joined them from Manchester City.
“We are looking at all options, but let’s be realistic,” Parsons said, speaking to BBC Radio Solent Sport.
“We’ve got 30-plus players and we don’t need 30-plus players. We’re actually in a position to make sure the finances balance out quite well and you do get hit substantially being relegated.
“We can trim the squad, we can sell assets if we want to. We won’t be selling assets on the cheap. And that’s why we stood firm on a few.
“We will develop a lot of players over the coming years and there will be players who gone on to join top-four clubs but we won’t be doing it at a cheap rate, we will be doing it at the going rate. If clubs want to place offers with us, we will look at them. We won’t be saying just yes to any offer through the door.
“Southampton is a great club and if you do well for Southampton and deserve a move, maybe we’ll look at it but let’s focus on Southampton first and doing well and then we’ll talk about other clubs second.”
Liverpool are believed to be prepared to make a third bid for Lavia which will meet the £40m transfer fee expectations by the Saints plus add-ons.
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