Southampton are set to demand “£50m plus” for midfielder Romeo Lavia this summer amid heavy interest from Premier League clubs in his services, according to Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth.
How much will Romeo Lavia cost interested suitors?
£50 million is the figure that Southampton are ‘holding out’ for before considering sanctioning a departure for Lavia from St Mary’s Stadium this summer amid interest from Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona in his services, according to Football Insider.
The outlet claim that Liverpool are frontrunners to bring in the Belgium international and indicate that a move to Anfield would be his preference ahead of other options on the table.
Manchester City, Manchester United and Newcastle United are asking to be kept informed on Lavia’s situation as speculation surrounding the 19-year-old’s future ramps up, according to 90min.
Earlier this year, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano took to Twitter to confirm that Lavia’s former club Manchester City have a buyback clause for the youngster at the £40 million mark that activates in 2024, stating: “Romeo Lavia will be one to watch in the summer. Man City £40m buy back clause, valid in 2024. Chelsea [wanted him last summer] and Arsenal [still keen on Caicedo too] among clubs interested – Southampton hope to keep him.”
Contractually, Lavia is tied to Southampton until the summer of 2027 and earns £25,000 per week on the South Coast, as per Capology.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Sky Sports journalist Sheth has belief that Southampton will hold out for a minimum of £50 million for midfield talent Lavia.
Sheth said: “Southampton, even though they’ve gone down to the Championship they know what they’ve got in Romeo Lavia and all the noises are suggesting that it’s going to be £50m plus to prise him away from St Mary’s.
“So maybe one that goes later in the window once a number of clubs have got all of their positions sorted, and then they’ll have a look whether they can actually realistically do a deal for someone like Lavia. I think that might happen later in the window.”
Will Romeo Lavia leave Southampton?
It’s looking very likely that Lavia will leave Southampton at this point due to their relegation to the Sky Bet Championship; however, they should be very well compensated for the Belgium international if he finalises a move elsewhere between now and the close of play.
The former Manchester City star had a promising campaign last term, registering one goal and a solitary assist in 34 appearances across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.
Lavia also showed his penchant for getting stuck into tackles last season and won an average of 2.1 challenges per match in the Premier League, according to WhoScored.
Driving forward from the middle of the park, the 19-year-old also successfully conjured up 41 shot-creating actions, demonstrating that he can also help to fashion chances for his side, as per FBRef.
Now, it looks like the question on everyone’s lips is where will Lavia end up come the end of the transfer window, with several elite sides keen to take him on board due to his potential.
Southampton won’t care about the destination too much as their sole focus will be accumulating a hefty financial reward before letting him depart St Mary’s.
