Club hoping to ‘speed up’ sale of Liverpool transfer target who could be a Romeo Lavia alternative

The main story coming out of the Liverpool transfer rumour mill is their pursuit of Roméo Lavia, who has been a priority target for some time now. The latest update on that saw the Reds have an improved offer rejected by Southampton, who are standing firm on their £50 million asking price.

Although the player himself is keen on a move to Anfield, the longer Liverpool take to give the Saints what they want, the larger the risk of another club swooping in grows. Fortunately though, it doesn’t seem like Jurgen Klopp has all of his eggs in one basket.

According to Spanish outlet Sport, Barcelona are ‘hoping to speed up’ the departure of Franck Kessié. The club have reportedly instructed the midfielder to make a decision on his future, as they have had a lot of interest from opposition clubs come in. Kessié is said to be ‘very clear’ about his situation at Barca and is ready to leave, but he is holding out hope for an offer from the Premier League.

Liverpool are one of the clubs showing interest in the Ivory Coast international but they also face competition from Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus. The latter are the only club to have placed an official bid though, and while Barcelona are allowing Kessié to choose his next destination, they have made it clear that they will sell to Juve if there are no last minute improvements.

Kessié still has three years left on his contract and he is currently valued at €25 million (£21.5m) by Transfermarkt. While he is naturally a central midfielder, he can operate in the more defensive role and even at centre-back if required.

He contributed three goals and three assists in 43 matches last season, and while those aren’t the most impressive numbers, Jurgen Klopp has already recruited his playmaking midfielders. What he really needs now is someone to fill the No.6 role, which Kessié is definitely capable of doing and as they desperately search for new personnel, they can’t afford to be picky.