Romeo Lavia could be playing for a top six club next season, one year after leaving Manchester City.
Southampton suffered relegation to the Championship in 2022/23.
It had been on the cards for a fair while, with the Saints really struggling.
Their relegation was confirmed with a few games to go and now, speculation is swirling around some of their players.
Inevitably, there is a lot of talk about their captain James Ward-Prowse – so often their talisman.
But someone else who is taking up a few inches in the gossip columns is Lavia.
The youngster made 34 appearances for Southampton across all competitions, and really impressed as a holding midfield showcasing technical quality.
It looks as though he could already be set for a departure, with interest in the player high.
Romeo Lavia is wanted by top six clubs ahead of the summer window
According to The Athletic, ‘almost all of the top six clubs’ in the Premier League have now registered an interest in Lavia and held talks with him and his representatives.
It is not clear whether those are the teams that finished in the top six places in 2022/23. Or if it’s the traditional ‘Big Six’.
It is stated that scouts came to St. Mary’s Stadium in the final months of the season to watch him stand out in a dysfunctional team.
Currently, Arsenal are in the market for a new central midfielder. They have been heavily linked with Declan Rice. It would be no surprise if they had made contact with Lavia.
And Chelsea were reported to have actually made an offer for Lavia just weeks after he joined Southampton last year.
Goal reported earlier this year that both London clubs would indeed be keen.
Manchester City could be tempted to land former star Romeo Lavia to prevent rivals from getting him
One wonders if City have had any kind of contact with Southampton and Lavia.
Last year, Lavia left City for the Saints in a deal that could rise to £14 million.
City did negotiate a £40 million buy-back clause over the midfielder. But it apparently doesn’t activate until the summer of 2024.
If City do have interest in Lavia, then perhaps they won’t wait until then and offer Southampton more than £40 million this summer.
Pep Guardiola did say back in April that he was ‘really impressed’ with the youngster and his development since leaving City.
Lavia has the potential to become a top player. And so, City might not want any of their rivals getting their hands on him.
Certainly if Ilkay Gundogan and Kalvin Phillips leave the club, it may be a possibility.
