Southampton manager makes Romeo Lavia admission amid transfer interest from Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea

New Southampton boss Russell Martin has admitted that he may be powerless to stop certain players from leaving this summer.

Southampton were relegated to the Sky Bet Championship after finishing at the bottom of the Premier League table last season. While the team failed to deliver as a collective, the Saints do have some talented players in their ranks.

One such youngster is Romeo Lavia. The 19-year-old Belgian midfielder is reportedly being chased by Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea. Lavia joined the Saints from Manchester City in a deal worth £10.5 million plus add-ons last summer.

He became a first-team regular, making 29 league appearances for the Saints last season. With top clubs interested in his service this summer, Southampton may find it tough to retain the player in this transfer window.

Speaking to BBC Radio Solent, Southampton boss Martin said:

"I hope I can convince some people to stay who were 50-50 about it. I think there will be some players who we can't avoid [losing] who will be back in the Premier League."

He added:

"That's the nature of the game and some of them will be far too attractive to Premier League teams and will want to go and play in the Premier League. You have to respect that."

Chelsea, Arsenal or Liverpool - Which team should Lavia choose to join should he leave Southampton?

Chelsea recently parted ways with Mateo Kovacic, N'Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek with Dennis Zakaria also going back to Juventus after the end of his loan spell at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues are lacking players in midfield with Enzo Fernandez the only guaranteed starter at the club. Lavia could potentially get the most amount of playing time at Chelsea but it will also depend on who else the Blues sign over the rest of the summer with Moises Caicedo reportedly a target for the club.

As for Liverpool, the Reds recently signed Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister to replace outgoing players like James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain.

The Reds also have Thiago, Jordan Henderson and Fabinho as experienced members of the team, meaning Lavia could stand to learn a lot by playing next to these veterans.

Arsenal can offer Lavia the chance to play in the Champions League. Moreover, with the young team being built by Mikel Arteta, Lavia could become a crucial member of the project in the long run.

However, at the moment, with Arsenal reportedly close to securing the signature of Declan Rice, it is tough to see Lavia getting a regular chance in the first team.