REPORT: Mikel Arteta has told Arsenal to ‘hurry up’ and sign ‘50M rated ‘natural baller’ for him after he sees Liverpool are trying to overtake them in acquiring the player

Arsenal are ready to accelerate talks to sign reported Liverpool target Romeo Lavia.

Lavia looks set to be on the move this summer having been relegated from the Premier League with Southampton. For now, it looks like being a straight shootout between Liverpool and Arsenal as to who gets him.

Reports two weeks back suggested that it was the Gunners who were the most likely to sign the 19-year-old. Fast forward to last Tuesday, and word on the street was that the Reds had come from behind to race into the lead.

Now, according to Football Transfers, it looks like Arsenal might be ready to put themselves back in the driving seat. They claim that Mikel Arteta is set to ‘speed up negotiations’ with Lavia, after Thomas Partey asked to leave the club.

There’s no word on how Liverpool intend to react to this development. But it sounds like they might need to get a move on themselves.

Liverpool and Arsenal battle for Lavia

As Liverpool prepare to announce the signing of Dominik Szoboszlai, a move to bring Lavia in is starting to make a lot of sense.

Despite reports of a £50m price-tag, there seems to be a sense that the Belgian will leave Saints for less.

The Reds have done plenty of business with Southampton in the past and perhaps feel there’s a deal to be done.

Also, it seems likely that Lavia wouldn’t be brought in as a first choice. Whereas Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister have the look of immediate starters for the Reds, this teenager doesn’t.

Had Lavia been signed as the second summer signing, there’s a chance it may have been a little underwhelming. But the surprise capture of Szoboszlai has blown that out of the water.

As a third midfield project, Lavia looks virtually perfect. Able to take his time to develop into the perfect Fabinho successor, he also qualifies as a home-grown player.

If they do want the Belgium international though, Liverpool are going to have to fend off Arsenal. With the transfer market now whirring into life, let’s see who makes the first concrete move.