Chelsea are reportedly ‘close’ to signing Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo and now Mauricio Pochettino is considering a move for Southampton star Romeo Lavia.
The manager is tasked with rebuilding his squad this summer as the Blues look to bounce back from a dismal 2022/23 campaign, which saw them finish 12th.
Midfield is Pochettino’s current focus. This comes after Chelsea have parted ways with the likes of Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante.
As previously reported by Football365, Caicedo is considered to be Chelsea’s top transfer target and it seems a deal with Brighton is close to completion.
This is according to Fabrizio Romano, who claims the Blues are still the favourites to sign the Seagulls star. This is despite interest from Liverpool and Arsenal.
Last season, Caicedo made 37 Premier League appearances for Brighton. He was one of their key players as they secured a sixth-place finish – the best campaign in the club’s entire history.
Pochettino will hope that the Ecuadorian can have a similar impact at Chelsea next season. Barring any late twists, he looks set to make the switch to Stamford Bridge.
However, Romano also suggested that Chelsea are pushing to sign another Liverpool target this summer.
Indeed, the journalist adds that Chelsea are still in the race for Lavia, alongside Liverpool. Arsenal are also credited with an interest in the 19-year-old, who are eyeing a replacement for departure-linked Thomas Partey.
Lavia signed for Southampton from Manchester City last summer. He was one of the few positives for Saints fans last season, who finished bottom of the Premier League table.
Now, the south coast club are set to offload some of their key players, such as Lavia and James Ward-Prowse, as they look to rebuild their squad for the Championship.
Last season, Lavia made 29 Premier League appearances for the Saints. Generally operating as a defensive midfielder, the Belgian is effective at breaking up opposition attacks and has a good passing range.
Man City manager Pep Guardiola is also a big fan of the youngster despite selling him last summer.
In an interview in April, Guardiola said: “I am really impressed with what Romeo has done and is doing.
“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.”
Man City have a £40m buy-back clause in Lavia’s contract. This only becomes active in 2024, however.
With that in mind, Chelsea will have to act fast if they want to sign the midfielder, especially given the interest from Liverpool and Arsenal.
Southampton have reportedly slapped a £50m price tag on Lavia, so Chelsea will have to make an offer in that region to get a deal done.