Jurgen Klopp has three reasons for Liverpool to sign Romeo Lavia over Khephren Thuram

Dominik Szoboszlai has been barely a Liverpool player for a day. Yet such is the nature of transfers in the modern day, with sections of fans having an insatiable appetite for gossip, rumours and new signings, the attention has already turned to who could be next through the Anfield arrival door.

The summer transfer window was always going to be a busy one for Liverpool. It certainly needed to be after an underwhelming 2022-23 season which saw Champions League qualification surrendered - while they didn’t challenge for silverware across four competitions.

So far in the window, total of £95 million has been spent on Szoboszlai (£60 million) and Alexis Mac Allister (£35 million) from RB Leipzig and Brighton respectively.

No signing is ever guaranteed to prove a hit but most will concur that Liverpool's midfield options are already looking significantly stronger. The new duo will be competing with Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara, Fabinho, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott and Stefan Bajcetic for a starting spot in Jurgen Klopp's side.

But with James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all departing, as well as the versatile Fabio Carvalho joining Leipzig on loan, Liverpool may still look to add to their engine room further.

One name that the Reds are monitoring is Romeo Lavia. He's widely expected to leave Southampton after their relegation from the Premier League, having only spent one season at the club. The likes of Khephren Thuram (Nice), Manu Kone (Borussia Monchengladbach) and Ryan Gravenberch (Bayern Munich) are also on the radar although reports suggest that a bid will soon be lodged for Lavia. And if the 19-year-old is indeed the player who Klopp covets then it would make sense for three reasons.

The first is that Lavia is a natural holding midfielder and can provide genuine cover and competition for Fabinho. In his first four years at Anfield, the Brazilian established himself as one of the world's best defensive midfielders. Yet, like many of his team-mates, he was well short of the peak of his powers for much of last term. A reason for that, some believe, was because there was a lack of rotation in Fabinho's position previously and fatigue soon caught up.

What’s more, when it comes to squad planning - in the present and for the future - a switch for Lavia would be prudent. As things stand, Liverpool now have just one non-homegrown berth in their squad available after Szobozslai's arrival.

Yet Lavia, despite being Belgium, would not take up that final slot. That's because he would go on Liverpool's list of under-21 players - and would do so next term.

Therefore, that would allow Klopp to still potentially bring in another player from overseas. A versatile, left-sided defender has been suggested as someone who the Reds could target - whether that be Wolfsburg's Micky van de Ven or someone else.

And when Lavia is eventually above the age of 21, he will then fit the homegrown rule. He joined Manchester City from Anderlecht at the age of 16. To count as a homegrown, players must have been registered to an English or Welsh club for a period of three seasons before their 21st birthday. Given that criteria is something that Liverpool are short of, it would help down the line.

Last season, Lavia made a total of 33 appearances for Southampton. While the Saints may have been demoted in meek fashion, he was one of the bright sparks. Undoubtedly, Lavia has areas to improve but for someone playing his maiden campaign in the world’s most competitive league, that will only augur well. There would be no settling-in period in terms of meeting the demands of the Premier League - which is another advantage over the likes of Thuram and Kone.