Liverpool hoping to hijack Chelsea move for midfielder

All eyes will be on Wembley on Saturday afternoon as Manchester United face rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup final. 

The two sides have never met in the final before, and the stakes will be even higher for this one as Pep Guardiola’s side chase the treble.

The opportunity to deny their rivals the treble will undoubtedly provide added incentive for United, who haven’t won the competition since 2016.

Last year’s finalists – Liverpool and Chelsea – were both eliminated much earlier in the competition this year, despite facing each other in both domestic cup finals last season.

This term has been far less successful for both the Blues and the Reds, though, as they both finished outside the top four.

Now, it appears that Liverpool are plotting to hijack Chelsea’s pursuit of a highly-rated midfielder.

According to Football Insider, the Merseyside outfit have made Southampton aware of their interest in Romeo Lavia.

Lavia was outstanding during his first full Premier League season

Jurgen Klopp is desperate to add at least one central midfielder to his squad this summer, with James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all leaving Anfield in the coming weeks.

Chelsea, meanwhile, could lose a number of midfielders with Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic all being heavily linked with moves away.

Lavia, 19, joined the Saints from Manchester City’s youth setup last summer and enjoyed a superb personal campaign on the south coast.

The midfielder made 34 appearances across all competitions this season, and scored his first ever senior goal against Chelsea in August.

The Belgian is one of several Southampton players who will likely leave the club following their relegation to the Championship, although he is contracted to his current club until 2027 which puts the Saints in a commanding position.

Manchester City, who sold the player to Southampton last year, are said to have a buy-back clause that will become active next summer.

In March Lavia was handed his first senior cap for Belgium, and interest from both Chelsea and Liverpool reiterates how impressive he has been over the past 12 months.