Southampton have received a £48million offer including add-ons from Chelsea for midfielder Romeo Lavia.
The west London club’s bid arrived on Wednesday night.
Dialogue is currently ongoing, with Southampton’s asking price being £50m.
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The Athletic reported on August 7 Liverpool had a third bid of around £46million rejected for Lavia.
Southampton’s asking price, however, is seen by Liverpool as too high a figure for a player of Lavia’s experience.
Lavia made 29 appearances as Southampton were relegated last season, missing a chunk of the campaign due to a hamstring injury. He was also subject to a £50m deadline day approach from Chelsea last September, despite only having joined Southampton a few months earlier.
Chelsea are looking to bolster their midfield and have been pursuing Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo throughout the summer.
Brighton have rejected four bids from Chelsea for Caicedo, the latest being an offer of £80m (£75m plus £5m in add-ons) made last month.
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