Aheed Abrar
Chelsea and Manchester United ‘leading the race’ for Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia
Manchester United, along with Premier League rivals Chelsea, are ‘leading the race’ for Southampton youngster Romeo Lavia, according to Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri on Twitter (h/t The Sun).
In the English top-flight, Manchester City are also eyeing the 19-year-old. The Sky Blues sold the midfielder in the summer of 2022 to the Saints for £14 million. Pep Guardiola’s team have a buyback clause in his contract.
Lavia has been in fine form in the current campaign. The Belgian has been a pivotal player for the Saint Mary’s Stadium side. Although, the Hampshire-based club are struggling in the league this season.
Southampton are in a relegation battle at the moment. If the Saints were to get relegated, it would hurt their chances of keeping a hold of the talented midfield prospect.
Chelsea are eyeing a defensive midfielder at the moment. Graham Potter’s team have invested heavily in the squad over the last two transfer windows. In January, they signed Enzo Fernandez from Benfica.
Jorginho recently departed the Blues and joined table-toppers Arsenal. The Stamford Bridge side also have the likes of Mateo Kovacic, Conor Gallagher and Ruben Loftus-Cheek in their ranks.
As for United, Lavia does not represent our first choice. Erik ten Hag is keen on Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong, Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice.
This season, the Dutch manager has called upon the likes of Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Fred and Scott McTominay and Donny van de Beek. Marcel Sabitzer also arrived on loan in January.
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The Red Devils seemingly lack depth in the middle of the park. However, it remains to be seen whether the 19-year-old Southampton star will join the Old Trafford side in the coming months, considering his past allegiance with our arch-rivals City.
