Chelsea will have to spend £50m in order to sign Southampton youngster Romeo Lavia this summer, according to renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano.
How good is Romeo Lavia?
The Belgian is a wanted man this summer, with some of the biggest clubs in the Premier League battling to acquire his signature before the new season gets underway in August.
Lavia enjoyed a highly impressive 2022/23 campaign on a personal level, throwing in some excellent performances for Saints, despite them ultimately propping up the rest of the table in the end.
At just 19, the midfielder was often superb in the No.6 role, playing with eye-catching levels of maturity and class in front of the defence, enjoying an 86.4% pass completion rate.
Chelsea are one of a number of huge clubs thought to be interested in signing Lavia in this current transfer window, but it won't be easy to snap him up, considering the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United are also in the mix.
Are Chelsea likely to bid for Lavia?
Speaking to Caught Offside, Romano gave an update on the situation surrounding Lavia, admitting that Chelsea will have to spend fairly big on him:
"There’s no further news on Romeo Lavia yet; Chelsea links are normal as director Joe Shields had Lavia at Southampton and City, but it’s still not time for advanced talks now. In general, I think the player’s final price tag will be around £50m."
Whoever ends up signing Lavia this summer will be getting a special young prospect, which highlights why Chelsea must do all they can to get him, even if £50m sounds like a lot of money for a teenager who remains relatively unproven.
United legend Paul Scholes has said the Saints gem has "so much potential" as a player, while Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has called him "incredible", even though the Belgium international was allowed to leave the Etihad on a permanent basis last summer.
Chelsea's midfield is such an important area to improve upon in the coming weeks, with N'Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic both moving on, and finding the right partner for Enzo Fernandez is essential, in terms of balance and longevity.
Lavia could be perfect in that respect, as would Brighton star Moises Caicedo, arguably providing a little more pace and legs than Fernandez, and coming in as not only an immediate key figure but also a regular for many years to come.
