Arsenal are reportedly in pole position for the transfer of Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia this summer as he prefers them to Liverpool.
The Belgium international is a man in demand at the moment after a hugely impressive campaign at the St Mary’s Stadium last season, but it could still take some time for his future to be resolved.
According to Steve Kay of Football Transfers, Lavia’s preference is to join Arsenal over other suitors such as Liverpool, with the Gunners able to offer better money, Champions League football, and a generally more tempting project.
One issue, however, is that Arsenal are not currently willing to pay Southampton’s £50million asking price for the 19-year-old, according to the report.
Lavia has also been strongly linked with Liverpool by Sacha Tavolieri in the tweet below, with Chelsea now seemingly focusing on Moises Caicedo as their priority for that position…
? #LiverpoolFC set to focus now their energies on Romeo Lavia’s deal. I understand talks on players side are advancing well as the green light’s close but nothing done yet. The ideal projection #LFC would be to get him for the first summer camp with the team.
The Reds -that… pic.twitter.com/q5aJxplniI— Sacha Tavolieri (@sachatavolieri) July 4, 2023
Lavia joining Arsenal could also hinge on the north Londoners selling Thomas Partey, so it may be that the teenager can’t end up getting the move he wants.
Liverpool have been busy strengthening their midfield this summer with the signings of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, but it seems they remain keen on bringing in a more defensive-minded option for that area of their squad.