Arsenal are reportedly showing interest in Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia as they seek to strengthen their central midfield for next season, so who is the 19-year-old?
Arsenal will face competition from Manchester United and Chelsea if they want to lure Romeo Lavia away from Southampton after only one season.
Lavia joined the Saints from Manchester City last summer for around £12m, with a £40m buyback clause in his contract.
If Southampton are relegated, Lavia could push for a move, and Arsenal may need to move fast to secure the teenager’s services ahead of other interested parties if they really are interested.
Who is Romeo Lavia?
Romeo Lavia is a midfielder who spent two years with Manchester City as a youngster before signing for Southampton in the summer. He was born on December 18, 2004, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but grew up in Belgium.
Lavia began his youth career at the Belgian club RSC Anderlecht, where he quickly caught the attention of scouts from top European clubs. In 2020, he joined the youth academy of Manchester City.
After joining City, Lavia continued to impress with his performances in the youth teams.
In September 2021, he made his senior debut for the club in a League Cup game against Wycombe Wanderers. Lavia played the full 90 minutes and was named man of the match, impressing with his physicality, work rate, and passing ability.
Lavia is regarded as one of the most promising young talents in English football, and has been compared to former Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure for his style of play. He is known for his ability to win the ball back in midfield, his powerful driving runs, and his excellent passing range.
Despite his age, Lavia has already been called up to the Belgium under-21 national team, and is expected to have a bright future in the game.
Why did Romeo Lavia leave Manchester City?
Lavia opened up on his decision to leave the club permanently last summer and join Southampton for a fee of around £12m.
He had been a regular in City’s first-team training and played a key role in the under-23s’ title win. Despite being given the opportunity to push for senior minutes this season, Lavia chose to move to Southampton, where he has played 21 times this season, totalling 1,382 minutes.
“I’ll be honest with you, in the middle of June I’m doing my school exams – I hear interest from Southampton, and when I hear it I’m just like ‘let’s go’,” he said.
“I looked at the culture of the club, the style of play with which I was really impressed by when I was on the bench for City playing against Southampton. It was really exciting and that’s how it went.”
Before this weekend’s round of fixtures, Southampton are bottom of the Premier League with just 18 points from 24 games and only five wins.