Chelsea have been linked with Southampton star Romeo Lavia. (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
As per Evening Standard and the Athletic (subscription required), Southampton have rejected an opening bid by Liverpool worth up to £40m for Chelsea target Romeo Lavia.
Apart from the Blues and Liverpool, Arsenal have also been linked with a move for the young Belgian. The Gunners might not make a move for him following Mikel Arteta’s comment that Thomas Partey will stay in north London.
We know that Chelsea have Moises Caicedo as their top midfield target for the summer. But, that deal is becoming increasingly difficult to complete and has currently reached an impasse. Brighton are notoriously one of the harder nuts to crack in the transfer window.
Having seen the options Mauricio Pochettino has in midfield after a flurry of departures in this window, one would think that the club must sign two midfielders at the least. Only getting Caicedo may also not be enough.
Coming back to Lavia, the 19-year-old had an excellent first season in the Premier League last time around. Although he was a part of the Southampton squad that got relegated, there is a reason why the Saints are demanding something in the region of £50m for him.
If Liverpool are unable to reach that figure with their next bid, it must be time for Chelsea to step in and match the asking price. The Blues have to be flexible with their incoming business, and snatching Lavia from Liverpool should be a part of the plan.
With quality defensive midfielders short on supply in the market, starving one of your rivals of having a top player in that position can be the secondary motivation behind Chelsea hijacking the Lavia move. Let’s hope common sense prevails and the club joins the race soon.
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