Chelsea have completed the signing of Belgium midfielder Romeo Lavia from Southampton in a deal worth £58m.
The 19-year-old has signed a seven-year contract that could be worth an extra £5m if extras are added.
Last season, Lavia played 34 times in all competitions, but that wasn’t enough to keep Saints from being kicked out of the Premier League.
“I’m really happy join Chelsea and be a part of this exciting project,” said Lavia.
“It’s an amazing football club with a great history and I’m really excited to get started.
“I can’t wait to meet all my new teammates and build a chemistry to achieve great things together.”
Introducing a new Blue! 🔵 pic.twitter.com/vdHynMOMti
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 18, 2023
Liverpool was also interested in Lavia, but Southampton turned down their third offer, which was thought to be around £46 million with add-ons.
Lavia is the second player this week to choose Chelsea over Jurgen Klopp’s team. He follows Moises Caicedo, who joined the Blues from Brighton for a fee of £100 million that could go up to a British record of £115 million.
Lavia started out as a young player at Anderlecht. In 2020, he moved to Manchester City after Pep Guardiola saw him play at a tournament in Belgium. The young player only played for City’s first team twice, in the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup. In July 2022, he moved to Saints for £10.5 million because he was having trouble making it into the first team.
A sell-on clause means that City will get 20% (£10.6m) of the initial £53m fee that Southampton paid.
Lavia played his first game for the Belgium national team earlier this year. He came in as a substitute with ten minutes left in a friendly win over Germany.
In a statement, Southampton thanked Lavia for his “efforts and professionalism” during his one season with the club and wished him “every success in what [they] are sure will be a fantastic career.”
In an Instagram goodbye message, Lavia thanked Southampton fans for their support.
“I’ve instantly felt the love for you all despite us not achieving our shared goals,” Lavia wrote.
“I’ll never forget the belief the club and Saints all around the world showed me and I hope I was able to repay the faith you put in me.
“I would especially like to thank all my teammates and staff members within the club. You have all played a massive part in making my integration into real professional football easier.
“For those reasons, this club will always remain close to my heart. Good luck this season and I look forward to seeing the club marching back to the Premier League where it belongs very soon!”
