Transfer Gossip: Dream Liverpool update as Arsenal drop out of £50m midfielder battle amid big U-turn on current star

Jurgen Klopp will be delighted after finding out Liverpool will not face competition from Arsenal for one of their top transfer targets, Manchester City will likely have to fend off Paris Saint-Germain to land the next Riyad Mahrez, while Friday’s Transfer Gossip includes two Championship giants bidding for an Everton player.

LIVERPOOL MOVE CLOSER TO THIRD SIGNING

Liverpool are making progress in their attempt to make a Premier League star their third midfield capture of the summer, and Fabrizio Romano has revealed no rival offer will be coming from Arsenal for him.

After letting James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain leave on free transfers, Liverpool got their midfield revamp underway by signing Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton. He cost an initial £35million, though the deal could eventually rise to £55m depending on add-ons.

Dominik Szoboszlai soon followed Mac Allister to Anfield, as Liverpool paid his £60m RB Leipzig release clause.

However, Liverpool will soon need a third midfielder to join amid the possible departures of both Jordan Henderson and Fabinho. Henderson has been confirmed as Al Ettifaq’s latest signing, in a move which has seen him reunite with former Reds team-mate Steven Gerrard, while Fabinho could soon follow him to the Middle East by joining Al Ittihad.

Liverpool have decided on Southampton’s Romeo Lavia as the man they want to replace Fabinho in the defensive midfield position.

As per Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, Liverpool have reached an agreement on personal terms with Lavia. They have made an offer worth £37m for him, though this has been rejected as Southampton ideally want £50m.

On Thursday, journalist Sacha Tavolieri claimed Liverpool are poised to return with an improved £45m bid, and this could be accepted.

Providing an update on Twitter, Romano has given Klopp more good news by revealing Arsenal will not be attempting a late hijack of the move. He states that the Gunners ‘are not active’ in the chase for Lavia.

Arsenal will not battle Liverpool for Romeo Lavia

Arsenal have looked into signing Lavia in case Thomas Partey heads to the Saudi Pro League. But in a major U-turn, Partey now ‘has good chances to stay’ in North London.

Romano explains how Saudi clubs approached Arsenal to discuss the 30-year-old earlier this week, while Juventus also made contact in June.

But no club got close to Partey’s price tag, which Arsenal have set at €40-45m (£34.3-38.6m).

Romano ends his tweet by revealing that Arteta is ‘very happy’ with Partey. As a result, he will only leave Arsenal if a ‘huge bid’ comes in, which is now unlikely.

Southampton will be disappointed that Arsenal are not preparing to get into a bidding war with Liverpool for Lavia. This could have seen them take home an even bigger sum than their £50m demands.

Although, £50m is still a huge amount of money for a Championship club to receive, and it will help the Saints prepare for an attack on the second tier title.

Lavia, meanwhile, be will be excited about the prospect of signing for Liverpool. It can be viewed as the perfect next step in his career as Klopp is known to be great at improving younger players.

MAN CITY, CHELSEA AND PSG ALL WANT PALACE STAR

The race for Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise is getting busy, with Man City and Chelsea joined by several French clubs – likely including PSG – in pursuing the 21-year-old.

On Monday, French source RMC Sport claimed Chelsea had launched a £39m proposal to sign Olise. And with his release clause sitting at £35m, the Eagles will simply have to accept that bid.

But Chelsea have yet to sort out a contract with the attacker and this has resulted in City eyeing him up too.

City have earmarked Olise as a perfect replacement for right winger Riyad Mahrez, who could head to a Saudi club in the near future. And on Wednesday, pundit Gabby Agbonlahor labelled Olise a ‘great player’, although he did send Pep Guardiola a warning by saying the 21-year-old is not quite on Mahrez’s level just yet.

In an interview with CaughtOffside, French football journalist Jonathan Johnson has revealed the two Premier League giants will face competition from Ligue 1 teams for Olise. And this will highly likely include PSG, who expressed their interest in signing him two months ago.

“It’s quite rare to have an English-born player who’s eligible for France and is playing for them at youth level despite not having any experience of playing in the French club system, so it brings something new to the table in terms of the international set-up,” Johnson said.

“I’m sure he’s a name Didier Deschamps is keeping an eye on, and certainly if he was to make a move to one of the big clubs, such as Chelsea, where he spent a little bit of time in his youth days, that would be an interesting development.

“Still, he’s also a name who’s been occasionally linked with a Ligue 1 move. I think at some point if he becomes a full senior France international as we expect, he’s certainly a name that a number of top French clubs will look at.

“While he’s still at Crystal Palace, I think he’s within reach for a number of Ligue 1 clubs, but if he was to move to a bigger Premier League club like Chelsea or Manchester City I think that would probably take him out of reach for every club except PSG, so if he is on the move that will dictate his chances of a Ligue 1 club at some point in the near future. If he stays at Palace and if they struggle and end up in a relegation battle, then I think it could be one to watch for a number of Ligue 1 clubs.”

EVERTON RECEIVE THREE OFFERS FOR DEFENDER

Two major Championship clubs, as well as Premier League returnees Sheffield United, have made loan bids to sign Everton’s Mason Holgate, as per a report.

In late June, Everton put Holgate on the loan market after manager Sean Dyche decided he could do without the centre-back during the upcoming 2023-24 season.

This resulted in reports claiming Holgate to be in ‘advanced talks’ over a switch to Sheff Utd, although they appeared to be jumping the gun somewhat.

According to an update from Football Insider, Sheff Utd have now officially made a loan enquiry to Everton. However, Leeds United and Southampton have joined them by making loan bids of their own.

It is likely Holgate’s priority will be to sign for the Blades, given the fact they are in the top flight. But if a move to Bramall Lane falls through, the Englishman could still be tempted to sign for Leeds or Southampton. After all, both of those clubs will likely be in the mix to win the Championship title next term.

The report does mention one potential sticking point for any move, which is Holgate’s salary. His weekly wage has risen to a massive £72,000 a week this summer, it is claimed.

This is way out of the reach of Sheff Utd, while Leeds and Southampton will not want to pay this either given the fact they are no longer in the Prem.

It is clear that if Holgate is to leave Goodison Park this summer, Everton will have to subsidise at least half of his wages.