It is no secret amongst Arsenal fans that Mikel Arteta wants to strengthen his midfield department – with Romeo Lavia a target.
The 19-year-old has become one of the most wanted talents in the Premier League following his £14m move to Southampton back in July.
Mikel Arteta – according to the Daily Mail – is keen to bring the Belgian to the Emirates Stadium, with Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo also said to be targets for the Gunners.
Now, Lavia may cost Arsenal a little bit more than the alleged £40m price tag.
What’s the story?
Well, Lavia has now been named in Goal’s prestigious NXGN list focusing on the brightest talents set to become huge names in the next generation of football.
Not only did the teenager make the initial list detailing the 50 biggest wonderkids on the planet, but he was also named in the NXGN Nine as Goal narrowed their rankings down to the best nine prodigies around.
Lavia finds himself alongside the likes of Endrick and Gavi in the NXGN Nine, which speaks volumes.
To put that into context, Endrick recently completed a £60m move from Palmeiras to Real Madrid.
Lavia’s efforts are arguably more impressive than the likes of Gavi, seeing as he finds himself fighting at the foot of the Premier League for relegation favourites Southampton rather than in the heart of Barcelona’s midfield.
Arsenal face Romeo Lavia issue
Arsenal face something of a race against time to sign Lavia.
Southampton signed the Belgian from Manchester City in that aforementioned £14m deal, with the Citizens negotiating a buyback clause which becomes active in 2024.
Therefore, if Arsenal fail to sign Lavia this summer, they risk missing out on his signature to Manchester City.
Having said that, Arteta is also eyeing Caicedo and Rice – should he land one of them, we doubt he and Edu will also spend heavily on Lavia.
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