Romeo Lavia has joined Chelsea from Southampton, with the West London club paying an initial £53 million to sign the 19-year-old.
Romeo Lavia is officially a Chelsea player. The Blues have made an official statement to announce that they have secured the services of the Belgian international, who has signed a seven-year deal at Stamford Bridge. And they have shelled out an initial £53 million to prise him away from Southampton this summer.
Romeo Lavia has long been one of the most highly-rated midfielders in England. The Belgian international spent most of his formative years in his homeland before joining Manchester City in 2020. But he only spent two years at the club before moving to Southampton last summer to seek a quicker pathway to first-team football.
Lavia’s decision paid off as he made 34 appearances for Southampton last season. And even though the Saints failed to stave off relegation, he was one of their rare bright spots. But as the summer transfer window beckoned, high-profile suitors lined up to secure his services. And Chelsea and Liverpool were the front-runners in the race to sign the 19-year-old.
Liverpool soon went into the pole position after laying the groundwork for a deal. And the young midfielder was pushing Southampton and his entourage to see through an agreement with the Merseyside club. But Lavia’s head turned when Liverpool suddenly decided to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton & Hove Albion.
Introducing a new Blue! 🔵 pic.twitter.com/vdHynMOMti
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 18, 2023
The 19-year-old midfield sensation decided to listen to Chelsea’s offers. And things went spiralling out of control for Liverpool, with the Reds failing to sign both Lavia and Caicedo. Chelsea quickly sensed the opportunity to seal an agreement for Lavia’s signature. And the player has expressed his delight after moving to the West London club.
He said, “I’m really happy join Chelsea and be a part of this exciting project. It’s an amazing football club with a great history and I’m really excited to get started. I can’t wait to meet all my new team-mates and build a chemistry together to achieve great things together.”
Meanwhile, according to the BBC, Chelsea will pay an initial £53 million to Southampton after securing Lavia’s services. In addition, the deal contains a release clause worth £5 million. And the 19-year-old has signed a seven-year contract with the West London club. It will be interesting to see if he can feature regularly in a stacked midfield unit this season.
