Manchester City have reportedly reached a full agreement with Southampton for U-23 superstar Romeo Lavia, with the Belgian youngster set to sign for the south coast side on a permanent deal.
Fabrizio Romano took to Twitter to confirm that the teenage midfielder will sign for the Saints in a deal worth £10m, with Lavia the second City talent Southampton have brought this summer following the arrival of goalkeeping talent Gavin Bazunu.
Just like last summer, Southampton have been poaching top talents from the Premier League’s biggest sides in the hope that they can develop in the first team, with Tino Livramento arguably the breakout youngster in the top-flight in the 21/22 campaign following the defender’s move from Chelsea.
And this year, Southampton have set their sights on City, with the Manchester giants heavily financing their youth set-up over the years which is now starting to bear fruit, with Phil Foden the obvious standout player to come from the system in recent years.
However, other exciting talents have started to emerge from the academy, such as Jadon Sancho, Angelino and Kelechi Iheanacho, with Lavia the next talent to develop their talents at City and move on to a club where he will likely play senior football.
Indeed, this transfer could sting for City fans given how highly-rated Lavia is, with some pundits tipping the Belgian youngster to one day be good enough to play for Pep Guardiola’s side, a statement which seems to be true given that the Premier League champions have inserted a buy-back clause for the midfielder as he signs for Southampton.
Lavia signing for Southampton will unlock midfielder’s true potential
Lavia has long been regarded by many on the youth football scene as one of the most exciting prospects in Europe, let alone in England, and Southampton signing the midfielder for £10m could be an outstanding piece of business for the St. Mary’s side this summer.
After all, Southampton are no strangers to developing young players, and following on from the success of Livramento last season, there’s a strong chance that Lavia could also find his feet with the Saints and enjoy a breakout year in the Premier League on the south coast.