Southampton have completed the signing of defensive midfielder Romeo Lavia from Manchester City. The player has signed a five-year contract with the club.
The 18-year-old has moved to St Mary’s for the next five years. Form of Romeo Lavia with the U-18s and U-23s has convinced Southampton to pay a good chunk of the transfer fee for the youngster.
ROMEO LAVIA AND SOUTHAMPTON TRANSFER SAGA FULL STORY
Kalvin Philips signed for City in the same position. This prompted Lavia to leave the club. The Citizens will receive a fee believed to be in the region of £12m plus add-ons. They have also inserted a buy-back clause in the deal. The buy-back clause is believed to be £40m. Romeo Lavia becomes the Southampton fourth signing of the summer transfer window.
Romeo Lavia also was happy to join the club. Lavia said: “I’m really delighted to join this club. I think this club has a really good culture with young players, so I’m really happy to be here. However, the Belgium U-21 international will now be looking to impress Hassenhuttl in pre-season training. The aim of the youngster is to make his Premier League debut at some stage.
THE CLUB AND MANAGER ARE TARGETTING YOUNG AND TALENTED PLAYERS
The transfer policy from Southampton is pretty clear. They are signing players who are young and talented. These players are expected to increase in terms of transfer value in the coming years. The policy will help the club earn good money if they move on. It will also help the player develop in a friendly environment.
Although, it won’t work every time. Sometimes the club will have to suffer losses on the player. However, it’s a policy worth implementing for mid-table clubs. The manager also was happy with the signing. Ralph said, “Romeo Lavia is an extremely talented young player at the start of his career who is open-minded and wants to learn and develop his game with Southampton.
Last season, the midfielder made 27 appearances for the City U-23 side. He helped the club win the Premier League 2 title. He made his senior debut against Wycombe. However, Romeo Lavia is expected to make more senior appearances for Southampton. Southampton will now turn their attention to recruiting Joe Aribo from Rangers after Lavia.
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