Southampton's Romeo Lavia reacts after being substituted
Arsenal are reportedly showing an interest in signing Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia in the summer.
The Lowdown: Midfielder wanted
Arsenal are targeting a new midfielder this summer, having been linked with the likes of West Ham United’s Declan Rice and Brighton and Hove Albion’s Moises Caicedo, having failed in a January move for the latter.
They ended up signing Jorginho from Chelsea as midfield cover instead, but may look at signing one more given Mohamed Elneny’s long-term injury and Albert Sambi Lokonga’s uncertain future, having been allowed to go to Crystal Palace on loan.
The Latest: Lavia interest
As per The Daily Mail, Arsenal are in the race to sign Lavia this summer, along with fellow Premier League rivals Manchester United and Chelsea.
Manchester City also have a buy-back clause of £40m after selling him to Southampton last summer, and he is a player that their own midfield superstar Kevin De Bruyne rates very highly.
Rice remains Arsenal’s top midfield target, but they could apparently bring in two new midfielders this summer.
The Verdict: Get it done
At just 19 years of age, Lavia is a player with so much potential, and would be a long-term replacement for the likes of Jorginho and Thomas Partey in the Gunners’ midfield, with Rice possibly the more immediate upgrade to the starting XI.
Hailed as a ‘special talent‘ by former Saints manager Nathan Jones, no Southampton player to have played at least five games in the Premier League has averaged a higher pass success rate than Lavia (87%), while he also ranks highly in the number of other key metrics (WhoScored).
The Belgian has been a shining light in what has otherwise proved to be a difficult season for the Saints, and could fit in well among a talented group of youngsters in North London.
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