Arsenal have identified the Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia as a summer transfer target as they look to update their options in the middle of the park.
How old is Romeo Lavia?
Despite the Gunners enjoying an impressive 2022/23 campaign, it seems as if Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar are looking to overhaul their midfield this summer.
Indeed, it is believed Granit Xhaka could be heading for the exit doors this summer with reports of interest coming from Bayer Leverkusen.
And on top of the potential exit of the Swiss midfielder, it has now recently been suggested that Thomas Partey could be another name who could be set to depart for a new opportunity over the coming months.
These are two players who played huge roles in Arsenal's starting XI last season with Xhaka making 37 appearances in the league and Partey making 33 league appearances.
Despite this, the Gunners are believed to be seriously interested in bringing Declan Rice to north London this summer to bolster than midfield with a bid already lodged for the 24-year-old.
And speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has now claimed the Gunners could look to make a move for the 19-year-old from Southampton, Lavia:
"It's true that Romeo Lavia from Southampton is one of the players they have in the list, it's correct.
"They like him, they consider Romeo Lavia a top talent. Man City have a buy-back clause on the player but only in summer 2024. Not this summer and the clause would not be valid in the future; it's only valid in 2024 for Man City, not now.
"So Arsenal are interested Chelsea are also interested."
How much is Romeo Lavia worth?
The 19-year-old played a significant role in the Southampton side last season having made 29 appearances in the Premier League alone (via Transfermarkt).
Of course, it was a hugely underwhelming campaign for the Saints which saw them finish rock bottom of the Premier League table.
However, it was not a wasted campaign for the Belgian who was even dubbed as an "absolute monster" by some in the media for one of his displays earlier in the year.
And this can be seen through his returns over the last year with the youngster ranking in the top fourth percentile for blocks made across all midfielders in the top five European leagues (via FBef).
As a result of his impressive displays, it is believed the Belgian has garnered interest from a number of clubs including Liverpool.
But it is apparent any club who is looking to acquire the young talent will have to dig deep this summer with the Saints reportedly placing a £50m price tag on their young star.
Considering Arsenal are looking to spend big money on Rice and potentially also Kai Havertz, this could prove to be another significant financial layout for the Gunners this summer.
