At the time of writing, Liverpool have rejected their third bid for Romeo Lafia, but the clubs will still be in transfer talks, according to Sasha Tavolieri.
The south coast club opened their Championship season last Friday with a solid 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday. Then the Belgian sat on the bench.
Tuesday night was a completely different story, without the midfielder in the squad. Southampton suffered a humiliating 1-3 defeat against Gillingham in League Two in the League Cup.
– There were many people who worked for themselves, rather than doing the tasks we had to do as a team. This often happens in football, where players think: “I have to play well and take care of my own performance”, but this is not how we should play. We’ve never done that,” Southampton manager Russell Martin said after the game.
Lafia was not, as mentioned, involved against Gillingham on Tuesday, but it is very likely that the Belgian could be one of the players Martin targets.
on my way ?: Romeo Lafia has not played for Southampton yet.
– There was a lot of disappointment, many probably felt sorry for themselves. Perhaps this applies to those who do not understand that they do not want to be here, or know that they do not want to be part of our journey.
On Tuesday afternoon, Belgian journalist Sascha Tavolieri reported that Lafia was not present at Southampton’s training in the run-up to the Gillingham game.
It’s quite understandable after Martin’s post-match remarks.
– We already have a big team, but the question is who will help us. There may have been a lot of people who were elsewhere tonight, which is my fault. He concluded by saying that I should have cared more about this, but I thought it would be a good opportunity for them to show themselves.
A fourth attempt is approaching
On Wednesday afternoon, Tavolieri reported that Southampton expected Liverpool to meet the club’s demands within a short period of time.
“I have been advised Liverpool will pay £5m missing, following Monday’s rejected offer. Southampton will not accept a lower bid. Talks are ongoing.” He writes on Twitter.
Romeo Lafia isn’t the only Saints player on his way out of the gates of St. Mary’s. Captain James Ward-Prowse did not feature on Tuesday night and is rumored to be just hours away from a move to West Ham.
Lafia is not in Southampton training
Romeo Lafia is not in training nor in the squad for tonight’s encounter with Gillingham, according to a reporter.
News Yesterday 12:50
Lafia was absent from the squad for the match on Tuesday evening, and talks are continuing with Liverpool
As expected, the 19-year-old will not be participating in the League Cup for the time being.
News Yesterday 20:21
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