Manchester City are considering the possibility of bringing midfielder Romeo Lavia back to the club just one season after letting him go.
Journalist Pete O’Rourke has told GiveMeSport that Man City should be a team to watch regarding a move for their former player, with Football Insider backing up these claims, saying that the Cityzens are leading the race for his signature.
Lavia left the Etihad for St. Mary’s last July and has shown real promise on the south coast making 23 appearances for the Saints, playing most of his minutes as a defensive midfielder.
It’s no surprise that City are in for the 19-year old, with Ilkay Gundogan’s contract running out in July and Bernardo Silva being linked with a move to Barcelona
O’Rourke has confirmed that City do have a £40million buyback clause on the Belgian youngster and as a result have first refusal on the deal. The journalist thinks that with other teams also interested, but it might be a struggle for the Saints to keep hold of him especially if they are relegated.
“It’s one they’ll be keeping an eye on. He has been linked with a number of top clubs – Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United have all been linked to him as well. And if Southampton do go down, I think they’ll face a real fight to keep hold of him.”
Would Lavia go back to City after leaving them for more game time in the first place? That much is unclear but this remains a rumour to watch over the next few months.