Arsenal are reportedly cooling their interest in Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo and are now favouring a move for Southampton’s Romeo Lavia. Manager Mikel Arteta is keen to bolster his midfield this summer, with West Ham’s Declan Rice his number one target. However, with Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka both potentially leaving, Arteta wants to bring in a second midfielder. Arsenal have long-standing interest in Caicedo, but Brighton rejected a £75m offer in the winter and are thought to want a fee in excess of that figure now, with Chelsea the club making the biggest push to sign the Ecuadorian. As such, Arsenal’s pursuit of Caicedo is likely to come to an end, with Arteta now favouring a move for Lavia instead.
Who is Romeo Lavia?
Romeo Lavia is a 19-year-old midfielder who currently plays for Southampton. He was previously at Manchester City and has been on Arsenal’s radar for some time. While he is less established than Caicedo, Arteta is a massive fan and sees him as both a younger and cheaper option that would complement their existing options. Lavia is viewed as having enormous potential and is seen predominantly as a replacement for Partey, who is attracting interest from clubs in Italy and Saudi Arabia and looks increasingly likely to leave.
What is Arsenal’s bid for Lavia?
Arsenal are ready to bid £40m for Lavia, which could be enough for Southampton to sell. City included a clause that allows them to buy the midfielder back for that same figure, though it only comes into effect next year. The deal that saw Lavia move to the south coast last year was also believed to contain a rather large sell-on clause, which could see Southampton try and hold out for a bigger fee from Arsenal. Still, he is likely to cost around half what Brighton will demand for Caicedo and will be more suited to an understudy role in which he would rotate in and out of the squad.
What would Arsenal’s midfield look like with Lavia?
Should Arsenal successfully fend off late interest from Manchester City for Rice, their midfield would have the England international at the base with Martin Odegaard and potentially Kai Havertz ahead of him, with Lavia providing a more defence-conscious, orthodox midfield option. Arteta sees Lavia as having enormous potential and is keen to bring him to the Emirates this summer. If Arsenal can secure a deal for Lavia, it could be a shrewd move that helps to strengthen their midfield options for the upcoming season.