Southampton reject Liverpool's £37m opening bid for Romeo Lavia

Chelsea and Arsenal are also interested in signing the 19-year-old midfielder

According to the Athletic, Liverpool submitted an opening bid for Romeo Lavia, which Southampton have rejected.

On Friday, it was claimed that Lavia's quest was about to take a turn for the better and that Liverpool had ratcheted up their interest.

Southampton have rejected Liverpool's offer, which is thought to be in the neighbourhood of £35 million plus add-ons.

However, it is anticipated that the Anfield club will return with a better offer.

Lavia is a player that Chelsea are also interested in, and Southampton are prepared for a counteroffer from Chelsea for the young Belgian player.

Lavia, 19, transferred from Manchester City to St. Mary's last summer and performed admirably in his first Premier League season. Southampton is asking for about £50 million for him.

He is being pursued by Lavia's two top suitors as they both overhaul their midfield.

This summer, Liverpool shed an array of alternatives in central midfield, and captain Jordan Henderson appears to be on the brink of following suit and joining Saudi Arabia's Al Ettifaq.

N'Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Denis Zakaria have been let go by Chelsea. They also have a keen interest in West Ham's Conor Gallagher.

With a total of £95 million this summer, Jurgen Klopp has already acquired Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, a midfield combo.

It further states that should Lavia not work out, the Merseyside club has a four-player backup shortlist consisting of Cheick Doucoure of Crystal Palace, Sofyan Amrabat of Fiorentina, Ryan Gravenberch of Bayern Munich, and Kalvin Phillips of Manchester City.

The Belgian midfielder continued to play for St. Mary's for 29 games in his first season, making an impression playing defensive midfield amid the team's demotion to the Championship.