Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool to BATTLE for wonderkid

Tom Weber

• 31 May 2023 14:38 BST
• 3 min read

A host of Premier League giants are lining up to snap up Romeo Lavia from relegated Southampton.

The youngster joined from Manchester City last summer for €12.3 million and has been one of the standout performers in a dire Saints side that finished the Premier League season rock bottom. Due to his impressive showings in 2022/23, his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) has skyrocketed to €20.8m.

At 19, the Belgian is already a Premier League regular, which has earned him plenty of praise from Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, who revealed that he would have loved to have kept Lavia around. Indeed, City rated him so highly that they inserted a €46m buy-back clause in his Southampton deal.

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However, the problem with that clause is that it only comes into force next summer. Yet, according to a report, the Manchester outfit could still make a move in the next few months in order to prevent other suitors from getting him.

Several clubs interested

Football Insider claims that City are pondering re-signing Lavia this summer, while several other Premier League giants are also trying to strike a deal.

The report mentions Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, all of whom have had a long-standing interest in Lavia. In fact, Chelsea were so impressed with him when he faced them last summer that they submitted a sizeable bid to Southampton shortly before the transfer window closed.

Arsenal, meanwhile, are looking to strengthen their midfield, while Liverpool are working on completely rejigging theirs. The latter and Chelsea don't have Champions League football to look forward to, which could make them less attractive to the Belgian starlet.

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With Granit Xhaka set to depart the Emirates, Arsenal could be a viable option because not only would he be guaranteed game time and Champions League football but he likely will also be less expensive than Declan Rice.

He is, however, not yet as complete a player as the West Ham star and could therefore be something of a risky signing if thrust straight into a team that wants to challenge for the Premier League and in Europe.