Romeo Lavia: Chelsea in advanced talks with Southampton for Belgian midfielder

Romeo Lavia is pursued by Liverpool and Chelsea; The Reds initially agreed in a £60m deal but the Blues are now in advanced talks with Southampton over a move; Lavia clear he wants to join Chelsea; The Blues have beaten Liverpool to the signing of Moises Caicedo from Brighton

Chelsea are in advanced talks with Southampton over a deal for midfielder Romeo Lavia.

A source said Sky Sports News there is “cautious optimism” full agreement can be reached on the deal.

Personal terms between Chelsea and Lavia shouldn’t be a problem.

Liverpool have a deal worth around £60m for Lavia, but the player has made it clear he wants to move to Chelsea.

Liverpool have already missed Moises Caicedo at Chelsea. The Blues have agreed a deal with Brighton worth a British record £115million for Caicedo. This follows Liverpool having an accepted £111m bid just for the 21-year-old to let them know he intended to join Chelsea.

Chelsea want to bring in two midfielders in this window and talks between them and Leeds United over the signing of Tyler Adams broke down last week after the sides failed to reach an agreement.

Southampton had held firm on their £50m valuation of 19-year-old Lavia. Chelsea made a £48m bid last week, while Liverpool had three previous offers turned down this summer.

Lavia still has four years left on his contract from Southampton after joining Manchester City last summer, but was still expected to leave following Saints’ relegation from the Premier League last season.

The Belgium international did not come off the bench in Southampton’s win over Sheffield on Wednesday on the opening night of the season, while he was not named in the squad for the loss to Carabao Cup at Gillingham on Tuesday or the 4-4 draw with Norwich on Saturday. .

“A saga in progress but moving forward”

Sky Sports News’ Mark McAdam speaking on The Transfer Show:

“This is another of the ongoing sagas of the summer.

“On Monday morning Liverpool had a £60million offer accepted by Southampton but nothing happened. There was no medical lead and Lavia was not heading to Merseyside to continue things. There was a bit of unease as Chelsea worked in the background on their own contract for the midfielder.

“That would suggest Lavia’s preference was to go to Chelsea. But as things stand, there are no offers from Chelsea that Southampton have accepted.

“Chelsea were interested in Lavia this time last summer after just three Premier League appearances. We expect a big move in the next 24-48 hours or so. You get the feeling this one is progressing.”

Explained: How do Chelsea stay in compliance with FFP rules?

Sky Sports News‘ James Savundra explains how Chelsea are sticking to Financial Fair Play rules despite their huge spending since taking over from Todd Boehly.

Follow the summer transfer window with Sky Sports

Who will be on the move this summer when the transfer window opens on June 14 and closes at 11 p.m. on September 1 in England and midnight in Scotland?

Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news and rumors in our dedicated Transfer Center blog on Sky Sports’ digital platforms. You can also catch up on the ins, outs and analysis at Sky Sports News.