Chelsea actively pursuing £40m deal to sign Premier League wonderkid
According to reports from Football Insider, Chelsea are currently the front-runners in the race to sign Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia in the upcoming summer transfer window. The young Belgian midfielder signed with Southampton last summer for £14 million and has made an impressive impact in a short period of time.
Despite interest from Arsenal and Manchester United, Chelsea are reportedly leading the race to sign Lavia, with the club "actively working" behind the scenes to broker an agreement.
While Lavia has a buy-back clause of £40 million with his former club Manchester City, it is not active until next summer, leaving an open field for negotiations with other clubs.
At just 19 years old, Lavia has shown maturity beyond his years, boasting an 86.7% pass completion rate this season and winning two tackles and one interception per appearance for the Saints.
If he joins Chelsea, Lavia will join a promising midfield already bolstered by the January signings of Enzo Fernandez and Andrey Santos. The latter was loaned back to Vasco da Gama as Chelsea failed to secure a work permit after two attempts, but is expected to receive his UK visa this summer.
The addition of Lavia would give Chelsea an excellent trio of young midfielders, capable of being mainstays in the first team for many years to come. While the club has had a forgettable season, the future is looking bright as they aim to build a young and ambitious squad.
