Manchester United and Chelsea are interested in singing 19-year-old Southampton defensive midfielder Romeo Lavia.
According to Sacha Tavolieri , Manchester United and Chelsea are set to battle it out for the services of Romeo Lavia. The 19-year-old has been doing wonders for Southampton in the ongoing season. As a result, a lot of clubs are keen on having him in their ranks.
Lavia grew up at the Anderlecht academy before Manchester City added him to their youth ranks in the summer of 2020. While he was performing at an impressive level in the youth level, the 19-year-old could not make it to their first team. He eventually left and joined Southampton ahead of the ongoing season.
The former Manchester City midfielder has gone from strength to strength since joining the Saints. He has made 24 appearances in all competitions and also has two goal contributions. The Belgian midfielder has been performing on a regular basis. And, his performances have not gone unnoticed.
The 19-year-old’s current contract ends in the summer of 2027. But, given the amount of interest in his services, he might end up leaving ahead of next season.
🔴😈🔵 Les clubs les plus pressants au moment T sur le dossier Roméo #Lavia sont #ManUtd & #ChelseaFC. #ManCity reste vigilant si départ cet été au milieu mais reste avantagé grâce à la clause de rachat inclus dans son contrat et la relation entre le #DiablesRouges & #Guardiola. pic.twitter.com/rwSyqFa0zR
— Sacha Tavolieri (@sachatavolieri) March 17, 2023
Meanwhile, Manchester United are one of the clubs who have their eyes on the 19-year-old. Erik ten Hag has done a great job since arriving in Manchester. The Red Devils have already won a trophy under the Dutch manager. However, he has identified areas where reinforcement is needed.
They are expected to enter the summer transfer market in search of a few midfielders. Ten Hag is keen on adding depth in the center of the park. And, he believes adding Lavia will allow them to rotate Casemiro as well as plan for the future.
However, they will face a lot of competition from Chelsea. The Blues have spent millions on signing new young players from across the world. Despite that, they have not tasted success yet. They will head into the market to sign a new number six and have the 19-year-old as a part of their list.
Quite a few senior players are expected to be offloaded for the new batch that has joined over the past few windows. As a result, it looks like a good move from the Blues to sign someone who has showcased himself in the Premier League. However, Lavia’s former club Manchester City are well aware of the situation.
Pep Guardiola is also thinking about bringing back the 19-year-old. Manchester City have a £40 million buyback clause in the Belgian’s contract at Southampton. This means they have the right to first refusal if Southampton decides to sell. As a result, it won’t be easy for either United or Chelsea to land Lavia at their club.
