CaughtOffside columnist Fabrizio Romano has commented on the recent Arsenal transfer rumours involving Southampton midfielder and former Manchester City youngster Romeo Lavia.
The highly-rated Belgian starlet has shone in the Premier League this season, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him move to a bigger club in the summer, especially if Southampton end up getting relegated.
Lavia could be a good fit in midfield for Arsenal, where Mikel Arteta could do with some young talent coming in to replace ageing stars like Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey and Jorginho.
Still, writing in his exclusive CaughtOffside column, Romano played down the links with Arsenal, which originally came from the Mail, and made it clear Man City have the option to re-sign the 19-year-old for £40million, which gives an idea of how much he’d cost.
“Nothing has changed for Romeo Lavia, at the moment,” Romano explained. “It’s normal to see big clubs linked because he’s a top talent but there’s nothing concrete at this stage.
“It’s fair to remember that Man City have £40m buy back clause for Lavia, so value has to be higher for sure.”
Arsenal fans will no doubt be keeping an eye on Lavia ahead of the summer, and it will be interesting to see how the Saints respond if they do end up going down, as that might harm their negotiating position and mean this top talent can possibly move for even less money.