The transfer window is in full flow and the speculation surrounding the next move for Romeo Lavia is heightening. Following Southampton’s relegation into the Championship, it was always on the cards that they would lose a large share of their star performers, of which Lavia is most certainly one, to Premier League sides, but it is yet to become clear which direction the Belgian will pursue.
We take a dive into the options on the table for the Southampton midfielder, with three of England’s biggest clubs all in the market for the youngster.
Liverpool have acted immediately on their refresh of their midfield, having already penned the signings of Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister. Yet, they are still heavily linked with a move for Romeo Lavia to add another option to their rejuvenated midfield.
It isn’t too difficult to see why Lavia is of interest to Klopp’s side with Fabinho approaching 30 years of age and Thiago looking like he will depart in this window. The Reds will be keen to ensure they have options in the midfield after a couple of seasons of being quite bare in the middle of the park and Lavia could be the perfect option.
Romeo Lavia is one of the hottest prospects in football at the moment, particularly after a stand out campaign in the Premier League which saw him top the charts for u21 players in; Tackles (60), Interceptions (33) and Shots blocked (11). Of all Liverpool players, in the Premier League last season, Fabinho is the only player who topped Lavia’s return for those metrics, further proving that he’s the perfect replacement for the Brazilian.
📊 Romeo Lavia's rankings in the Premier League amongst players u21 last season:
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) July 3, 2023
💪 Tackles - 60 🥇
🧠 Interceptions - 33 🥇
⛔️ Shots blocked - 11 🥇
☄️ Clearances - 23 🥉
🔐 Key Passes - 16 🥉
🌡️ WS - 6.56 🥈(20+ apps) pic.twitter.com/WXBcsEZbaD
Chelsea have been another side which have been quick off the mark with their transfer activity. They have finally welcomed Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig after agreeing the deal way back in December. They have also acquired the services of Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal for a fee of €37million.
Despite this though they still require a partner for their £106.8m midfielder Enzo Fernandez. Moises Caicedo was rumoured to join and Chelsea were reportedly keen on Manuel Ugarte but with the Caicedo deal still in the balance and Ugarte off to PSG, their attention could shift to another hot young prospect, in Romeo Lavia.
Lavia would be a more than capable addition to this Chelsea squad and with Pochettino likely to adopt a 4-2-3-1 formation, the Argentine could use him to compliment Fernandez at the base of the midfield.
The Gunners round off a full-house of clubs to show interest in Lavia and to have gone early in the transfer window. Kai Havertz has made the move across London from Chelsea, and Declan Rice is looking like the next name through the door, as well as Jurrien Timber looking imminent.
Arsenal made no secret of their desire to secure two defensive midfielders in this window, with Granit Xhaka departing, and after missing out on Moises Caicedo in January they’re still searching for that second DM.
Only Rodri (187) won possession in the midfield third more times than Declan Rice (173), and coming in just behind, ranked 12th, is Romeo Lavia (114). If the Gunners can land Rice and Lavia then they will have a secure ball-winning midfield partnership and you’d think their midfield will be set for years to come.
