According to the latest reports, Chelsea have opened talks for Southampton youngster Romeo Lavia as they seek out N’Golo Kante’s replacement.
Mauricio Pochettino sure has his work cut out for him next season when he takes over at Stamford Bridge.
The summer transfer window is expected to be just as hectic as last summer at Chelsea as the Argentine boss goes about rebuilding the squad.
N’Golo Kante is expected to complete a move to Saudi club Al-Ittihad and so Chelsea are now seeking his replacement.
The latest reports have claimed that Chelsea are targeting Southampton midfielder Lavia.
Football London have reported that Chelsea have now ‘opened talks’ with Southampton regarding the 19-year-old.
Despite being part of a squad which only accumulated 25 points, Lavia has impressed with the Saints so far.
Southampton signed the Belgian midfielder from Manchester City last summer on a five-year contract.
He featured in 29 Premier League matches and has attracted interest from a host of clubs.
The 19-year-old wins an average of 2.1 tackles per game and is especially useful out of possession.
Liverpool and Newcastle have also been linked with the Southampton man, but it appears as if Chelsea have the upper hand as things stand.
Pep Guardiola has kept tabs on his former player and is pleased to see how well he has progressed this season.
“I am really impressed with what Romeo has done and is doing,” Guardiola said back in April.
“We had, and we have, an incredible opinion about him. We thought to keep him, but maybe he would not (get) enough minutes like he has in Southampton.”
Along with adding Lavia, Chelsea are hopeful of signing several other stars this summer. Of course, the club must first offload a number of high-earners to balance out the squad.
The likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech and Edouard Mendy all look more than likely to leave.
Pochettino will also have a task on his hands when it comes to rebuilding the midfield for next season.
With the futures of Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic and Conor Gallagher up in the air, it could be a high turnover of players in this position.
READ MORE: Pulisic, Mendy, Auba good as gone: Ranking the Chelsea squad by likeliness of a summer sale