Revealed: The two Chelsea players KEY in Lavia transfer

Cameron Smith

• 18 Aug 2023 12:18 BST
• 4 min read

Wesley Fofana and Moises Caicedo have emerged as key reasons why Romeo Lavia decided to reject advances from Liverpool to sign for Chelsea.

The Belgian midfielder has joined the Blues for an initial €62 million from Southampton following summer-long interest from Jurgen Klopp’s side.

However, it has been reported that Fofana and Caicedo both played a role in bringing Lavia to Stamford Bridge.

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Fofana, 22, is currently sidelined with a serious ACL injury that will see him miss the majority of the 2023-24 season, while Caicedo only joined the club from Brighton & Hove Albion on Monday.

In spite of this, both players were influential in Lavia joining Chelsea, according to Ben Jacobs.

Jacobs posted on Twitter: “Joe Shields had a really important role in the Romeo Lavia transfer, but a few Chelsea players also played a small part. Wesley Fofana was one of them, with Lavia saying they are ‘good friends.’

“[It] was the same with Moises Caicedo. Several Chelsea players [were] in contact after Liverpool's bid.”

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Lavia and Fofana have never crossed paths at club or international level, but the Frenchman has reportedly played a role in bringing Lavia to Stamford Bridge, something that will no doubt please Blues fans.

What has Lavia said?

In an official statement on the club’s website, Lavia said: “I’m really happy to 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.”

His sentiment was echoed by co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley who wrote: “We are very pleased to welcome Romeo to Chelsea. He demonstrated his quality in the Premier League last season at Southampton, showing maturity despite his young age, and is a player we have monitored for some time.

“We believe he is ready to make an impact at Chelsea throughout the current campaign, and in the coming years.”

Lavia will wear the number 45 shirt at Chelsea and could make his Blues debut against West Ham United on Sunday.