Personal terms agreed, New bid agreed – Arsenal enters final stage of completing second summer transfer – Fabrizio Romano confirmed a “Done Deal” Announcement imminent.
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Arsenal Leading the Race to Secure Southampton Midfielder Romeo Lavia
In an exciting transfer development, Arsenal has emerged as the frontrunners in the pursuit of Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia.
Sources close to Football Insider have revealed that the 19-year-old talent has verbally agreed to join the Gunners, giving them a significant advantage over competitors such as Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United.
Having engaged in fresh discussions with Lavia’s representatives, Arsenal has swiftly jumped ahead of their rivals in the race to secure the highly sought-after Belgian international.
The midfielder is expected to depart Southampton following their relegation, and a transfer fee in the region of £50 million is likely to be sufficient to seal the deal.
Chelsea had invested considerable effort in pursuing Lavia, holding conversations with him throughout the previous season, positioning themselves as frontrunners for an extended period. However, they have temporarily paused their interest as they focus on concluding other transfers.
Meanwhile, Manchester City has also shown interest, with a buy-back clause in place that could be activated in the summer of 2024. Nevertheless, they currently remain undecided about making a move sooner.
Manchester United and Liverpool had expressed keen interest in recent weeks. However, their attention has shifted towards alternative targets, leaving Arsenal in an advantageous position to negotiate a deal with Southampton for Lavia’s services.
Understand Arsenal are advancing in talks to sign Roméo Lavia. Negotiations ongoing with Southampton and player’s camp, still no official bid ⚪️🔴 #AFC
Southampton hope for their record fee for U21 player.
Man Utd interested but priority is Mount; Chelsea, keeping close eye. pic.twitter.com/Emu5XpmUkH
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 20, 2023
It is anticipated that the Gunners will formally approach Southampton for Lavia’s signature next month, prioritizing the potential club-record signing of Declan Rice.
Mikel Arteta, Arsenal’s manager, is reported to be a tremendous admirer of the young midfielder and has expressed a strong desire to work with him, urging the club’s board to make every effort to secure his services this summer.
Lavia, who earned his first senior cap for the Belgian national team in March, enjoyed an impressive 2022-23 campaign with Southampton.
The midfielder featured in 35 matches across various competitions, contributing one goal and one assist to the team’s cause. Notably, Lavia accumulated the highest number of Premier League minutes among all teenagers last season, amassing an impressive 2,230 minutes on the pitch.
This statistic places him ahead of other talented young prospects such as Evan Ferguson (952 minutes) and Wilfried Gnonto (1,353 minutes).
As Arsenal’s pursuit of Romeo Lavia gathers momentum, the Gunners aim to secure his signature and add a promising young talent to their midfield ranks.
The potential acquisition of Lavia represents a significant step in Arsenal’s ambitions to strengthen their squad and compete at the highest level in the upcoming season.
