Chelsea 'set to complete £55m deal for Southampton star Romeo Lavia'

Chelsea ‘on verge of agreeing £55m Romeo Lavia deal’ – and are in the driving seat for £111m Moises Caicedo – in a double body blow to Liverpool, who have had THREE bids rejected by Southampton

• Chelsea are reportedly edging close to completing a deal for Romeo Lavia
• The 19-year-old Southampton midfielder is also being pursued by Liverpool
• Click here to watch Mail Sport’s brand new show ‘It’s All Kicking Off’ in full 

Chelsea have moved closer to completing a £55million deal with Southampton for midfielder Romeo Lavia, according to reports.

The 19-year-old has been the subject of an intense transfer wrangle between Chelsea and Liverpool, with the Reds having three bids rejected for the emerging star.

Southampton have refused to budge on their £50m valuation and are looking at agreeing a move with Chelsea after the Blues submitted an offer above the south coast club’s valuation, as reported by the Sun.

Both Chelsea and Liverpool are attempting to overhaul their midfields and are similarly engaged in a transfer war for the signature of Brighton star Moises Caicedo.

Blues manager Mauricio Pochettino has been a long-term admirer of Lavia and is now closer to securing a deal for one of his top summer transfer targets.

Chelsea are reportedly on the verge of completing a deal for Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia (left) 

Chelsea are keen to land Lavia (pictured) this summer while Liverpool are also in pursuit

Meanwhile, their pursuit of Caicedo is viewed as independent and won’t be hampered by dealings with Brighton for the Ecuadorian.

A £55m deal would see Southampton cash-in on Lavia who is keen to secure an immediate transfer back to the Premier League after being relegated last season.

The former Manchester City academy product moved to Southampton for just £14million last year meaning their proposed deal with Chelsea will see them rake in a huge profit.

City did formerly have a £40million buy-back option on their youth star but chose not to activate that as Pep Guardiola seeks alternatives.

Liverpool could return to the boardroom again for Lavia with Reds manager Jurgen Klopp keen to not miss out on two midfield targets to a Premier League rival.

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino (pictured) has been a long-term admirer of Lavia

Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo (pictured) could reject Liverpool in favour of joining Chelsea

However, they will have to match Chelsea’s £55m offer or break it to convince Southampton to accept an agreement for Lavia.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are also thought to be in the driving seat to land Caicedo, despite Liverpool boss Klopp revealing Brighton had accepted their £111m offer.

The Ecuadorian midfielder is keen to move from Brighton but favours a move to Stamford Bridge over Anfield.

Chelsea are preparing a new bid they hope Brighton will accept for their star midfielder. 

Source: Read Full Article