Manchester United have joined Arsenal and Chelsea in the race to sign Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia during the summer transfer window, Daily Mail report.
The Red Devils have made superb progress in manager Erik ten Hag’s first season in-charge and the Dutchman is keen on landing a young midfielder this summer.
Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham has been linked for some time, but Daily Mail claim that United are now in the hunt to land highly-rated Lavia from the Saints.
The Belgian only joined the South Coast outfit from Manchester City for £4 million last summer and he has hugely impressed, either side of his hamstring injury.
Pep Guardiola’s side have a £40m buy clause for the 19-year-old, but they can’t activate the option until the summer of 2024 as part of the agreement with the Saints.
Lavia would be a perfect long-term signing
Ten Hag picked Casemiro and Christian Eriksen as his regular midfield pairing in the early part of the season before the latter suffered a long-term ankle injury.
This forced United to sign Marcel Sabitzer on loan from Bayern Munich last month, but it has been Fred, who has stepped up with several goal involvements.
In our opinion, Ten Hag may now look for a young midfielder, who could be a long-term replacement. Lavia would be a perfect acquisition for the club.
In his 15 Premier League games this term, the teenager has completed an impressive 87 per cent of his passes while winning nearly five duels on average.
He has also won two tackles per appearance and has been dispossessed just six times per outing which is a hugely impressive statistic at such a young age.
The Saints obviously have a gem on their hands and United will be hoping to prise him away ahead of the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea in the next transfer window.
He obviously won’t come for cheap. Southampton could hold out for £40m for the midfield sensation. A bidding war could increase the player’s valuation further.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com and Sofascore.com
