Chelsea have reportedly outbid Liverpool in an attempt to prise Romeo Lavia away from Southampton.
Liverpool's third and most recent bid of £45m for the Belgian midfielder was rejected by the Saints earlier this week.
Southampton remain committed to holding out for £50m, despite their relegation to the Championship.
Chelsea have spent much of the summer chasing Brighton & Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo, but after a £80m bid was rejected, the club may be shifting attention towards a move for Lavia.
Brighton are also standing firm and are believed to value Caicedo at roughly £100m, so Chelsea may now be on the lookout for alternatives.
However, talkSPORT claims that Chelsea's bid is around the £48m mark, still slightly below Southampton's valuation for the 19-year-old.
With Chelsea showing intent, it may mean that Liverpool miss out on their man by refusing to meet Southampton's demands.
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Jurgen Klopp remains without a recognised holding midfielder in his Liverpool squad with the season opener just days away.
New signings Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, two players more accustomed to getting forward, Thiago Alcantara and Curtis Jones are the only options Liverpool have in midfield at present.
Trent Alexander-Arnold's new role as an inverted full-back may help slightly in that regard, but the club remain on the hunt for a man to come in to replace the departing duo of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson.
Chelsea have also seen a mass exodus of midfielders this summer, with N'Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount all leaving.
Lesley Ugochukwu is their only addition in that position so far this summer, but January recruits Enzo Fernandez and Andrey Santos are other options.
The two clubs meet each other on the opening weekend of the Premier League season this Sunday at Stamford Bridge.
However, Chelsea's bid for Lavia suggests that the battle on the pitch will not be the only one between the sides this month.
Andrew Delaney
