Chelsea reportedly made a Deadline Day bid of £50m to sign Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia just weeks after Manchester City sold the 18-year-old, with the Saints beating Leeds United to the Belgian prospect.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the Blues launched an audacious attempt to sign the teenage midfielder on the final day of the transfer window with Chelsea having a £50m proposal rejected by Southampton for Lavia, who has starred for the Premier League side in the early stages of the new season.
Lavia had started every league game for Southampton before a recent injury has sidelined the midfielder for up to six weeks, though in his first five Premier League appearances, the former City talent has shone in the Premier League, with his strike against Chelsea a notable high point.
The Saints reportedly beat Leeds to Lavia’s signature as the 18-year-old has taken to senior football like a duck to water, with City selling four players on permanent deals to Southampton with the midfielder and Gavin Bazunu already regulars for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side this season.
Indeed, Chelsea were one of the busiest sides on Deadline Day with Thomas Tuchel signing former Borussia Dortmund star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as well as Denis Zakaria on loan, yet their attempt to bring Lavia to Stamford Bridge, who only joined Southampton in July, was correctly shot down by the Saints.
Chelsea’s late attempt to sign former Leeds target Lavia is laughable
Chelsea signing Aubameyang just six months after the striker was released by Arsenal to join FC Barcelona is one thing, but moving for Lavia mere weeks after the midfielder arrived at Southampton is a laughable attempt to recruit one of the Premier League’s most exciting talents.
After all, Lavia has only just started both his senior career and his long-term contract with Southampton, and whilst £50m is a big sum for an 18-year-old, the Saints are right to reject such an offer from Chelsea, who seemed to desperate to make one last big move before the closure of the window.
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