Liverpool ‘hopeful’ of signing £50m midfield star by ‘end of the month’, Anfield ace posts farewell message

Liverpool are facing a tough bump in their summer transfer business as they are now scrambling to replace both Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, who have been linked to imminent moves to Saudi Arabia.

They remain highly active in the window though and are linked to several high profile midfield options. Here are the latest updates for Jurgen Klopp and his team as they look to continue their engine room restructure.

Liverpool ‘hopeful of an agreement’ for Lavia

If there’s one thing Liverpool can be applauded for this window, it’s staying committed to the pursuit of their transfer targets. Roméo Lavia has been on Klopp’s radar for a while now, and with the midfield exodus proving to be a cause for concern, interest has ramped up in signing the Southampton ace.

Football Insider has reported that Liverpool are ‘still in contact’ with the Saints over the 19-year-old and are ‘hopeful an agreement can be secured by the end of the month.’ However, in order to beat the competition to his signature, the Reds will need to trump Premier League rivals Arsenal and Chelsea, who are also eyeing up Lavia.

Southampton have slapped a hefty £50 million price tag on the midfielder and have seemed unwilling to budge on that. Although reports claim Liverpool are hoping to fianlise a deal for closer to the £40 million mark.

Layton Stewart bids farewell

Layton Stewart has officially signed for Championship side Preston North End after spending his entire career on Merseyside. The striker leaves the club after struggling to break through into the senior team. He made just one senior appearance during his time at Anfield — an EFL start against Derby last September.

Stewart posted an emotional farewell message to the club and the fans on Instagram as he announced it was “time for me to take the next step in my career” and look forward to new opportunities.

“To Liverpool, where do I start… today is the day I say goodbye to the club that I’ve been at for the last 16 years of my life, this club has been all that I’ve known — but now I think it’s time for me to take the next step in my career.”