Chelsea chief could play a crucial role in beating Arsenal to £45m midfield signing

Chelsea are one of the three teams heavily interested in signing Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia. The 19 year old has had a splendid campaign despite Southampton’s struggles in the league. Saints’ relegation doesn’t reflect Lavia’s performances which is why the big sharks of the Premier League are ready to snap up the youngster.

CFC broke the bank to sign Enzo Fernandez in January but their midfield overhaul will not stop there. The Blues are looking for a solid, reliable and dynamic partner for Fernandez and Lavia fits the bill. The Chelsea midfield is expected to see new faces this summer as Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Conor Gallagher could be sold.

Chelsea are open to selling Kovacic, Loftus-Cheek and Gallagher as they aim to balance their books by 30th June to avoid any Financial Fair Play complications. N’Golo Kante is yet to put pen on paper on his new deal but given his injury concerns, Chelsea do need a sturdy No.6 in the engine room.

Chelsea chief Joe Shields could play a big role in signing Romeo Lavia

The Blues have been interested in Lavia and in fact, even made a verbal bid last summer. In the end, they decided to sign Denis Zakaria on loan instead of signing Lavia. Since then, Chelsea have been tracking Lavia.

Ahead of the summer transfer window, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City are interested in Lavia. With Southampton’s relegation confirmed, Lavia is expected to leave the Saints as a number of Premier League sides remain keen on the Belgian.

Lavia was signed by Southampton from Manchester City and the Premier League champions have a clause inserted in the deal that could allow them to sign Lavia for £40 million. However, this clause is only activated in 2024, which means that Chelsea or Arsenal will have to sign him in 2023 or they will miss out on the midfielder.

CFC could have a major advantage in the race to sign Lavia. Chelsea’s co-director of recruitment, Joe Shields, has been instrumental in Lavia’s career and he could play an important role in helping Chelsea sign the 19 year old.

Shields signed Lavia at Manchester City and then signed him again at Southampton. Now he is at Stamford Bridge and could play a crucial role in Lavia’s signing. Fabrizio Romano has spoken about Lavia’s situation

"Romeo Lavia is a player Chelsea love. Chelsea have Joe Shields at the club, who is the director who signed Romeo Lavia for Manchester City’s Academy and then signed Romeo Lavia at Southampton.”He’s the man who has built the career of Romeo Lavia, so it’s normal to have this kind of link. They are pursuing the player but it’s not the only option. (via Give Me Sport)"

Will the Blues manage to sign Romeo Lavia?