Arsenal are about to sign Declan Rice and once they complete this transfer, the Gunners will look to challenge Liverpool and Manchester United in the race to sign Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia, claims Fabrizio Romano.
Lavia spent two years with the Manchester City academy before joining Southampton in 2022 and in this one year, the 19-year-old has grabbed the attention of all the big boys in the Premier League. The Saints had paid only €12 million in exchange for a five-year deal but right now, the defensive midfielder is valued at €25 million.
Romano has written in his CaughtOffside column: “Arsenal are of course busy with Declan Rice, he is their top target in midfield, but they could make one more signing in that position, and it is true that Romeo Lavia of Southampton is one of the players on their list – they like him, they consider him a top talent.”
Will Arsenal be able to land Romeo Lavia ahead of the other suitors?
Declan Rice is almost on his way to the Emirates and because Chelsea are focused on Moises Caicedo, Arsenal seem to have shifted their focus on the Southampton midfielder.
However, the Gunners won’t have it easy because Liverpool and Manchester United won’t give up without a fight.
Liverpool have signed Mac Allister but they are still in need of one or two new central midfielders so they will push hard for this Lavia deal to go through. Man United, on the other hand, are yet to sign any midfielders this summer which means they too will not give up without a fight.
Arsenal have a very good chance of signing the 19-year-old but they will either have to guarantee him regular playing time next season or they will have to outbid Liverpool and Man United(which basically means overpaying for a youngster who’s had only one good senior season).
Will the midfielder be a good signing or is he a gamble?
Romeo Lavia is a player with huge potential but he’s definitely one for the future.
His current market value is €25 million but because his contract expires in 2027, Southampton will charge a bomb for him. The Saints will need funds to rebuild their squad for the Championship so they can’t quote an absurd amount but we have a feeling they won’t accept anything less than €45-50 million for the Belgian international.
As we said, he’s had only one good season with the Saints where in he played 29 Premier League games so any club that signs him will be taking a bit of a gamble, that’s for sure.
Amongst, the three interested teams, Liverpool are perhaps the only side that needs a complete rehaul of their midfield which is why each one of their new signing needs to have an instant impact. Other than that, Arsenal as well as Manchester United can afford to sign Lavia and wait patiently for one or even two seasons to allow him to gather experience and mature.
