Chelsea tried to make a deal behind the scenes to sign Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia before the end of the summer transfer window, reports Fabrizio Romano. However, they weren’t able to finalize a move before the deadline day.
Chelsea Saw Cheeky Offer to Sign Romeo Lavia Rejected
Late £50m Bid For Southampton Midfielder Turned Away
Behind the scenes. Chelsea wanted to sign Romeo Lavia on Deadline Day with £50m verbal proposal rejected by Southampton — of course, he’s untouchable. 🚨🔵 #CFC
Southampton invested £12m plus add-ons for Lavia — and Man City have £40m buy back clause. pic.twitter.com/6oo1Rre2mt
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 3, 2022
Southampton Turned Down Chelsea’s Verbal Proposal for Lavia
The Blues wanted to strengthen their future core with the signing of the Belgian midfielder after watching him impress for the Saints in the early part of the new Premier League season. Romano adds that they even offered a verbal offer of £50 million, more than four times the £12 million fee they bought him for, but Southampton had no plans of accepting it after only having signed the teenage midfielder earlier in the window from Manchester City.
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Ralph Hasenhuttl considers the 18-year-old as ‘untouchable’, especially after the way in which he’s started the campaign with his side. Lavia broke into the Premier League scene by making history by scoring in his side’s 2-1 win over Chelsea a few days before the transfer deadline, becoming the first player born in 2004 to score in the English top flight.
Manchester City Hold Key Advantage in Future Swoop for Belgian Star
If he can continue his rapid progress at Southampton, Lavia is assured to attract a lot of top European sides in the next few years. The 18-year-old has already been tipped to be ‘an absolute star’ by ex-Chelsea player Scott Minto. He has also attracted a lot of praise from his manager Hasenhuttl, who has assured his plans to help him develop into a ‘top class’ player in the near future.
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When it comes to his future sale, it looks like Manchester City holds the key to getting him. When they sold him to the Saints this summer, the Manchester side’s executives added a buy-back clause which allows them to re-sign him for around £40 million – adds Romano. This means Lavia can soon return to the Etihad Stadium if able to impress Pep Guardiola and prove himself worthy of potentially being a long-term successor for Rodri.
