"A lot of money for a guy with little experience" - Liverpool legend casts doubt over potential £45m summer signing

Liverpool legend Steve Nicol is skeptical about the Reds potentially paying £45 million for Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia. The former right-back has admitted that he is not sure whether the 19-year-old is worth the reported money because of his lack of experience.

Lavia looks likely to become Liverpool's third major addition of the summer following the midfield acquisitions of Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister. The Reds have also lost James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and Jordan Henderson this summer while Fabinho also looks close to an exit.

As claimed by Fabrizio Romano, the Reds have made a second formal bid after their opening bid of £37 million was rejected by Southampton. However, Steve Nicol has doubts about whether Lavia is worth £45 million considering his lack of experience.

The Scotsman told ESPN:

"Yeah it does, it seems a lot of money. It does seem a lot of money for a guy with little experience, however I’m sure that they’ve looked at the stats and I’m sure that every man and his dog connected with Liverpool has watched over and over this guy live and on tape. I’m sure that they’ve dug into his background - every single thing about him - and that’ll determine whether they go the extra mile to bring him in."

Nicol has claimed that Lavia has plenty of quality and potential but might not be worth the £45 million quoted by the Saints. He added:

"I mean at 19 years old, you’re talking about another 10 years he could maybe spend at Liverpool if they think his game can go from where it is now - which let’s be honest, a 19-year-old playing in the Premier League performing the way he did - I know it’s for Southampton, which is a different ball game to go into one of the giants in football - but as a 19-year-old the future looks great for him. He can do everything, there’s a rawness to his game, he runs with it an awful lot."

Lavia joined Southampton last summer from Manchester City and was the shining light for a side that finished at the bottom of the table. The Belgian defensive midfielder impressed with his ball-winning ability, passing range and technical ability.

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Liverpool set to table £45 million offer to secure the signature of midfield dynamo

Liverpool are reportedly set to table a £45 million offer to sign Lavia. According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the Reds are ready to make a second offer for the Belgian after their initial offer of £37 million was turned down by the Saints.

We have seen a major overhaul in the Reds' midfield ranks this summer. The trio of James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita left on free transfers at the end of the last season.

Jordan Henderson has also completed his switch to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq while Fabinho is also close to joining Al-Ittihad. Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai have both joined Liverpool this summer but it is pretty obvious that Jurgen Klopp is still looking to bolster his midfield.