Chelsea have been ‘speaking’ to the agent of Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia ahead of a potential move, journalist Simon Phillips has told GiveMeSport.
The 19-year-old has been on the west London outfit’s radar since the summer and appears to be a long-term target for the club despite the change of manager following Graham Potter’s appointment.
A report from The Athletic at the beginning of January claimed that Lavia was amongst a group of ‘less-costly players’ being eyed up alongside expensive targets such as Enzo Fernandez, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice.
Chelsea, of course, ended up signing Fernandez from Benfica for a British-record fee, but reports from west London suggests further engine room reinforcements could arrive ahead of next season, especially after last night’s disappointing loss to Dortmund in the Champions League.
The Blues were dealt a decisive blow by youngster Karim Adeyemi in the second-half to hand Dortmund a 1-0 aggregate lead ahead of the second-leg at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues were caught on the counter by an explosive solo Adeyemi sprint before rounding Kepa Arrizabalaga to find the back of an open Chelsea net.
Blues faithfuls have bemoaned the need for reinforcement in the defensive midfield, with new arrival Enzo Fernandez not particularly a natural defensive midfielder as the west Londoners left acres of space for the former Salzburg forward to run into before scoring a sensational solo goal.
The Southern Daily Echo previously claimed that the capital club saw a £50 million offer for Lavia rejected by Southampton on deadline day last summer.
Lavia only arrived at St. Mary’s from Manchester City as recently as July 2022 for a fee that could rise to £14 million, meaning Chelsea’s approach raised many eyebrows.
Only time will tell if Potter’s charges come back with another formal approach for the Belgium Under-21 international, but he certainly appears to be a player of strong interest to them.
Phillips has disclosed that Chelsea ‘approached’ Lavia in the winter transfer window after their summer pursuit proved to be unsuccessful.
In an interview with GMS, he said: “Romeo Lavia is one that they approached in January.
“They’ve been speaking to his agent making it known that they are ready and willing to try and sign him, but he’s got to make his decision where he wants to go.”
Lavia’s promising displays have been one of the few shining lights in what has been a hugely underwhelming campaign for Southampton so far.
The teenager has registered one goal and one assist in his 17 appearances across all competitions, although he has rarely completed the full 90 minutes as he continues to be eased back into action following a hamstring injury.
As per FBref, Lavia has also ranked in the 99th percentile for blocks, 80th for pass completion, and 89th for interceptions among his positional peers over the last year.
Those figures highlight Lavia’s ability to stop opposition attacks before kickstarting ones of his own, attributes that Chelsea evidently find appealing.