Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia has reportedly decided to sign for Chelsea in the coming days.
During Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool, Chelsea’s midfield duo Enzo Fernandez and Conor Gallagher starred as they formed a new-look partnership.
However, with the Blues having seen their engine room become depleted of numbers throughout the summer transfer window, Mauricio Pochettino has been eager to bring at least one more fresh face through the door.
Barring official confirmation, Moises Caicedo will leave Brighton & Hove Albion for Stamford Bridge for what is a British transfer record of £115m.
The Ecuador international is expected to take the place of Gallagher as a first-choice pick, leaving the Englishman to act as deputy alongside the likes of Lesley Ugochukwu and Andrey Santos.
Nevertheless, it has become clear in recent days that Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital are also eager to secure a deal for Lavia.
While Chelsea have been prepared to meet Southampton’s demands, so have Liverpool with it being suggested earlier on Monday that a £60m deal has been agreed with Southampton.
Like with Caicedo, though, the Belgium international appears to have rejected the chance to move to Anfield in favour of Chelsea, as per David Ornstein of The Athletic.
With Chelsea and Southampton said to hold a strong working relationship, the report suggests that no issues are expected with regards to the completion of a transfer.
The 19-year-old is in line to move to the West Londoners in a deal that is said to be worth £50m, with a number of add-ons also included in the proposal.
Lavia has spent just a season at St Mary’s, impressing in his debut campaign having made the switch from Manchester City, who included a buy-back clause in the deal that would become active in 2024.
Instead, Lavia will pen a long-term contract with Chelsea and will likely challenge for a place in Pochettino’s starting lineup once he has gotten up to speed.
As a result of the pending developments with his future, Lavia has not played since a brief 17-minute outing in a friendly against AZ Alkmaar on July 29.
