Why Southampton are ready to sell Romeo Lavia amid Arsenal & Chelsea interest
Southampton are prepared to sell star midfielder Romeo Lavia this summer just one year after signing him from Manchester City, 90min understands.
The Saints brought in the then-18-year-old after he had made just two senior appearances for Man City, but he has quickly blossomed into one of the Premier League's brightest young stars.
Lavia made such a great immediate impression on the south coast that Chelsea lodged a bid to sign him late in the same summer window in which he joined Southampton. This approach was knocked back.
Despite Lavia's progress, Southampton find themselves mired in the pits of a desperate relegation battle, currently propping up the Premier League table having accumulated only 23 points from 31 games.
It is looking likely that Southampton will be playing Championship football next season, and among the star names expected to leave the club is Lavia.
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Sources have told 90min that Manchester City have a £40m buy-back option on Lavia which becomes active in 2024. Southampton are keen to do business for a potentially higher price this summer in order to maximise his value.
Chelsea are ready to reignite their interest in Lavia despite having a wide array of midfielders already on their books. He is also viewed as an alternative to Declan Rice by Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Manchester United and Newcastle United both admire Lavia, but are concerned about adding him to their current squads due to his relative lack of experience.
Lavia earned his first senior cap for Belgium during the March international window, coming off the bench for the final 10 minutes of their 3-2 win away at Germany.