Chelsea have reached an initial agreement to acquire Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia for a sum of £53 million, with an additional £5 million in potential add-ons. 19-year old Lavia who has one senior cap for Belgium is on the brink of his move to Stamford Bridge pending a medical examination.
Having played 34 matches across various competitions in the previous season, his efforts were unable to prevent Southampton’s relegation from the Premier League.
Among the suitors for Lavia was Liverpool, but Chelsea managed to secure his signing, marking the second instance in which Liverpool narrowly missed out on a target to Chelsea this transfer window, the first being Moises Caicedo.
Roméo Lavia to Chelsea, here we go! Deal agreed between clubs on final fee short of £60m add-ons included — structure also agreed 🚨🔵🇧🇪
Lavia will undergo medical tests this week, just informed by clubs that the agreement has been reached.
Roméo said yes to Chelsea on Monday. pic.twitter.com/sH9wlpYlnk
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 15, 2023
Chelsea recently concluded the acquisition of Ecuadorian midfielder Caicedo, aged 21, for a substantial fee of £100 million, which could potentially escalate to a record-breaking £115 million, establishing a new benchmark for British club transfers.
In their pursuit of Lavia, Liverpool submitted a third bid that Southampton turned down, rumored to be around £46 million, inclusive of supplementary payments, during the prior week.
🚨𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 :Romeo Lavia is expected to undergo his Chelsea Medicals today in Landon. 🔵🇧🇪 #CFC pic.twitter.com/6X95FlWwPg
— Topskills Sports UK (@topskillsportuk) August 16, 2023
Lavia’s journey began in the youth ranks of Anderlecht before he transitioned to Manchester City in 2020. His discovery took place at a tournament in Belgium, where Pep Guardiola was in attendance.
Despite his talent, Lavia found limited opportunities in Manchester City’s senior squad, making only two appearances in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. In July 2022, he transferred to Southampton for a fee of £10.5 million.
City holds a buy-back option on Lavia, but it is not operable until the upcoming summer.
Thanks to a sell-on clause, the Premier League champions are entitled to receive 20% of the sum that Southampton gains from the transaction.