Chelsea are monitoring Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia this summer, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Is Romeo Lavia leaving Southampton?
The Belgium international only arrived at St. Mary’s from Premier League rivals Manchester City last summer but after establishing himself as the south coast outfit’s second top-performing defensive player during his debut season, is attracting attention from Mauricio Pochettino.
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Romano previously claimed that the Blues “really appreciate” the 19-year-old due to his connection with Co-Director of Recruitment and Talent Joe Shields, and it wasn’t long before that initial admiration developed into more concrete interest.
Earlier this month, Football.London reported that the Stamford Bridge side had the teenager, whose price tag has been set at £50m, firmly on their radar and were considering submitting an offer as an alternative to Brighton and Hove Albion’s Moises Caicedo, though if the following update is to be believed, Todd Boehly is yet to make his move.
Taking to Twitter, Romano revealed that Chelsea are keeping tabs on Lavia, but at this stage, have not held any kind of progressive discussions regarding a summer deal. He wrote:
“Understand Liverpool asked [for] conditions of Romeo Lavia deal, they’re in the race. Arsenal, working on this deal for 15 days — no official bid from both clubs yet. Man Utd and Chelsea, monitoring the situation but not in active talks yet.”
Should Boehly submit an offer for Lavia?
Chelsea appear to have made Caicedo their number one defensive midfield target after reports have stated that a second bid is being prepared, but should they fail to secure his services, Lavia is definitely a player worth testing the waters for having been dubbed a “monster” by journalist Benjy Nurick and "a perfect Pochettino player" by reporter Alex Crook.
Sponsored by Adidas, Southampton’s talisman last season ranked in the 96th percentile for blocks and won 35 out of his 60 tackles made which was the second-highest success rate throughout his squad, as per FBRef, so he’s not afraid to get stuck in and clear the danger.
The Elite Project Group client, however, can also contribute to his team’s efforts at the opposite end of the pitch having scored one goal and provided the same number of assists during the previous term, so appears to have the potential to be developed into a box-to-box midfielder.
Finally, Pochettino would be provided with some versatility should Lavia join as he has the ability to operate slightly higher up in central midfield alongside his usual role sitting in front of the backline, so it could be one to watch with the Blues monitoring developments.