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Arsenal plotting summer swoop for Southampton star Lavia

By on April 19, 2023

Arsenal are reportedly plotting a summer swoop for Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia, as per 90min.

The 19-year-old moved to the Saint Mary’s Stadium at the beginning of this season from Manchester City in a £10m deal. The youngster has settled down in his new surroundings like a duck to water and straightaway has been displaying promising performances in his debut campaign in the Premier League.

After impressing for Southampton this term, Lavia has already attracted the attention of several big Premier League clubs with Arsenal among those to have registered their interest in recent times.

It has widely been suggested that the Gunners are keen on strengthening their engine room at the end of this season and have identified Declan Rice as their primary target, but, it appears Lavia is also on their radar.

According to the report by 90min, Man City have a £40m buyback option – which can be triggered in 2024. But, Southampton are willing to cash-in on their star man this summer for a fee of more than £40m to make the most profit out of Lavia’s sale.

Lavia to Arsenal

The report further claims that Arsenal are showing an interest in signing the highly talented midfielder and they have earmarked the Belgian as an alternative target if they fail to purchase Rice at the end of this season.

However, 90min claims that purchasing the 19-year-old won’t be straightforward for the north London club as English rivals Manchester United, Chelsea and Newcastle United are also eyeing a move for him.

Southampton are currently at the bottom of the table so their Premier League status for next season is in huge doubt. If they get relegated then they would be forced to cash-in on Lavia for a cut-price fee.

The 19-year-old is a deep-lying defensive midfielder, he is technically sound, strong, can play threading passes between the lines, possesses excellent close control, has an eye for long-range passing and is also efficient in defensive contributions.

Lavia is a perfect example of a modern-day holding midfielder and he has the potential to become a world-class player. So, he would certainly be a shrewd acquisition for Arsenal if they decide to make a move for him this summer.

It is going to be interesting to see whether Arsenal manage to broker a deal for Rice at the end of this season or shift focus to Lavia to reinforce their engine room for the next campaign.