Chelsea keeping close tabs on Romeo Lavia

Chelsea are reportedly one of a number of Premier League clubs ‘keeping close tabs’ on highly-rated Southampton youngster Romeo Lavia currently.

The Lowdown: Chelsea linked with Lavia move

The Blues could have a busy summer transfer window ahead of them, as they look to continue adding top-class talent to their squad ahead of next season.

Midfield is an area of the pitch where further reinforcements are required, in order to bring freshness there and to continue building towards the future.

Jorginho has joined Arsenal, while both N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic are ageing, highlighting the need for fresh blood to come in and add a spark.

One player who has been strongly linked with a move to Chelsea is Lavia, who has caught the eye with his performances for Southampton so far this season.

While Saints are battling to avoid relegation from the Premier League, the 19-year-old has impressed on the whole, starting 16 games in the competition and scoring once for good measure.

It doesn’t look as though Chelsea’s interest is going away, following a new update.

The Latest: Bid expected

According to Football Insider, the Blues are very much in the mix to acquire Lavia’s services this summer, with the youngster ‘attracting strong interest from the Premier League elite’.

Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City are also mentioned in the report, with the latter having a £40million buy-back clause that could be triggered, having moved to Saints from the Etihad last year.

Chelsea have been ‘keeping close tabs’ and are making ‘early moves in sounding out the possibility of a deal’, with sources expecting them to table a bid.

The Verdict: Great young option

The fact that Lavia is being watched by many of the biggest clubs in the country is a testament to how good he is, already becoming such an important player for Saints before even reaching his 20th birthday.

Kevin De Bruyne has backed the Belgian to become a ‘top player’ one day, which is high praise indeed, and he is already performing with such maturity in his defensive midfield role.

Lavia could be exactly what Chelsea are looking for this summer, coming in as a long-term replacement for Kante, who is now 31 years of age and increasingly injury-prone.

Along with Enzo Fernandez and hopefully another midfield signing at the end of the season, he could be part of the next great Blues midfield, combining quality on the ball and hard work off it.

This season, Lavia has enjoyed an 86.7% pass completion rate in the Premier League, as well as averaging 1.9 tackles per game in the competition.