Chelsea could reignite their interest in Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia following the collapse of their move for Enzo Fernandez, Alex Crook has claimed.
What’s the word?
The Blues had a late £50m bid for the teenager rejected in the summer, a surprising bid considering Lavia only joined Southampton from Manchester City weeks before.
With their mooted transfer for Enzo Fernandez collapsing, Crook has suggested that they could return to Southampton for Lavia, who has been impressive at both club and international level.
Speaking on TalkSPORT, Crook claimed that the 18-year-old is an alternative target for the club as they seek out a central midfielder.
“For Chelsea it’s back to the drawing board. I do have a potential alternative target as it’s pretty clear they’re looking to strengthen that midfield area,” he stated.
“Romeo Lavia was a player at Southampton they came in for late in the last transfer window despite the fact Southampton only signed him last summer.
“I was told yesterday that interest could well be reignited. Southampton on their part would be loathed to sell Lavia, but certainly keep your eye on Chelsea potentially testing their resolve with a big-money bid.”
A premature move?
Lavia moved from Man City to Southampton in order to continue his development as a first-team regular, as his prospects of game time looked slim at the Etihad Stadium.
Should he trade the South Coast for West London now, his game time would be far from guaranteed, and if he does become a regular player at Chelsea, he would have an extraordinary amount of pressure on his shoulders as he aims to replace Jorginho, who could leave for free this summer.
He may be better off staying at Southampton for now, and if his side do end up getting relegated, there will be no shortage of interest from top Premier League clubs in his services.
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