Chelsea ready to launch move for Belgian wonderkid

Chelsea are ready to make a fresh approach to sign Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia during the summer transfer window.

The Blues are long-term admirers of the Belgian prodigy and they initially tried to sign him from the Saints last summer.

Southampton purchased him from Manchester City for £14 million in July 2022 and the Blues immediately made an offer.

The Saints were unwilling to accept the proposal, but they are now likely to consider offers after being relegated to the Championship.

Chelsea are prepared to pay around £50 million for Lavia and it is reported that they could be favourites to sign him ahead of their rivals.

Liverpool and Arsenal are also interested in the teenager, but the Blues are planning to make an early proposal to the South Coast side.

Meanwhile, Manchester City have the option to re-sign Lavia for £40m, but their buy-back clause will only become active in June next year.

The Cityzens will still benefit from his transfer to another club. They stand to receive 20 per cent of the sell-on fee from the Saints.