Arsenal have now turned their attention to Romeo Lavia after holding internal discussions about their transfer plans, according to reports…
Arsenal transfer news – Romeo Lavia
The Gunners are believed to be pushing to seal a deal West Ham United captain Declan Rice as their first priority but according to The Guardian's Jacob Steinberg, manager Mikel Arteta is keen to sign two midfielders, having also been linked to Brighton & Hove Albion gem Moises Caicedo.
It's now thought the north London outfit have shifted their focus onto other players due to the sizeable sum it would take to secure the Ecuador international, as per the aforementioned report. Lavia is one potential alternative, with talks being held about making a potential move to bring the relegated Southampton star to the Emirates Stadium this summer.
The Sun, meanwhile, claim the Belgian midfielder is valued at around £45m by the Saints and is viewed by Arteta as 'a better option' than Caicedo.
Elsewhere, Arsenal are also keen to sign Chelsea attacker Kai Havertz, with the German said to be "very close" to joining, whilst the north Londoners are said to be in pole position to land Moussa Diaby of Bayer Leverkusen too.
Should Arsenal sign Romeo Lavia over Moises Caicedo?
Lavia was perhaps one of Southampton's only shining lights in what was a dismal Premier League campaign, one which saw them relegated to the Championship for the first time in 11 years.
The former Manchester City youth product was second to only James Ward-Prowse when it came to the average match rating of the Saints' engine room options and similarly, he ranked second for tackles per game (2.1) too, as per WhoScored.
Such impressive form saw Independent journalist Benjy Nurick hail the teenage sensation as an "absolute monster" and it also led to him picking up his first cap for the Red Devils back in March 2023.
Lavia grew up idolising Spain powerhouse Sergio Busquets and that is quite apparent when watching him play, with the same reporter waxing lyrical about his qualities as a defensive midfielder, taking to Twitter to say: "Always offering himself as an option to the defence, great range of passing, and a devastating turn away from markers with a little drop of his shoulder."
At just £45m, the dynamic 5 foot 11 enforcer would represent a shrewd piece of business, especially with Brighton looking 122% more (£100m) for Caicedo.
Lavia is not only younger, fitting in with Arteta's developmental project, but he has also come through an all too familiar system at City, where the Spaniard was Pep Guardiola's assistant prior to taking the helm at the Emirates Stadium.
These factors could indeed make him a better option than Caicedo this summer.