Is Romeo Lavia leaving Southampton this summer?
There are a number of top Premier League clubs set to battle it out for Lavia this summer, following Southampton's relegation from the top flight, with the Saints resigned to losing him, although they do hope to receive a sizeable fee.
Amid interest from Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, the midfielder could end up costing any potential suitor around £50m, but there is hesitancy among the interested parties about whether he is worth that much.
The Gunners have already held talks with the Belgian's representatives, but the indication is that they will not be willing to pay Southampton's asking price, given their expenditure in the transfer window up to this point.
Football Insider also report the Saints are looking to hold out for a fee of £50m, with Manchester City entitled to 20% due to the sell-on clause included in the 19-year-old's contract, and Arsenal could now be ready to pursue a deal.
Following positive conversations, the youngster has now given the move the green light, and there is an indication he would be eager to play under Mikel Arteta, as the report claims he is a big fan of the manager.
With Thomas Partey now closing in on a move to Saudi Arabia, the Gunners are well aware they will need a replacement for the central midfielder, and they are now expected to push Liverpool all the way in the race for Lavia's signature.
Chelsea also retain an interest in the Southampton star, so there could be a real transfer battle on the cards in the coming weeks.How good is Romeo Lavia?
Football writer Lewis Steele has previously expressed his shock that Pep Guardiola was willing to sell the young midfielder, saying: "Romeo Lavia is a sensational midfielder. Who at Manchester City sanctioned selling him for just £15m?"
However, the Man City boss has since made it clear that the Belgium international's departure was not due to a lack of ability, stating: “I'm impressed with what Romeo Lavia is doing at Southampton. We’ve an incredible opinion of him. We thought to keep him — but we couldn't give him enough minutes like he has at Southampton”.
lavia-rice-southampton-arsenal-arteta-transfer-gossip-premier-league
It was undoubtedly the right call for the former Man City man to move on last summer, as he has really started to develop during his time with Southampton, having made 29 appearances in the Premier League last season.
The Brussels-born maestro only scored one league goal, but he was very impressive in other areas, averaging the highest pass-success rate of any Saints player to start more than one game.
Lavia is also very adept defensively, averaging 2.1 tackles per game in the league, the same amount as Partey, while he also averaged more interceptions than the Ghanaian, indicating he could be a solid long-term replacement.
0 Comments