Chelsea pushing to sign 19-year-old Premier League star valued at £45 million this summer: Reports

Chelsea are reportedly pushing to secure Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia's signature this summer.

Lavia, 19, has emerged as one of the best defensive midfield prospects in Europe due to his mature performances in the ongoing 2022-23 season. Since joining the Saints from Manchester City for an initial fee of £10.5 million last summer, he has registered a goal and an assist in 28 appearances across all competitions.

A right-footed tireless operator blessed with pace and power, the one-cap Belgium international has attracted a lot of transfer interest from a host of Premier League clubs. With Southampton struggling in the relegation zone, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Arsenal have been monitoring the midfielder's development.

According to Football Insider, Chelsea are keen to prioritize Lavia's signing in the upcoming summer transfer window. They are planning to complete a potential deal for the gifted teenager before their Premier League rivals.

Lavia, who has a contract until June 2027 at St. Mary's Stadium, is set to leave this summer irrespective of whether the Saints survive the relegation scrap or not. He is currently valued in the region of £45 million.

Manchester City have a buy-back clause of £40 million for Lavia. However, it will not be active until the summer of 2024.

Should Lavia seal a permanent switch to the Blues in the future, he would provide reliable competition for places in the center of the park. He will prove to be a solid rotational option for the injury-prone and aging N'Golo Kante.

To make room for new signings, Chelsea are likely to cash in on a few of their first-team players. The likes of Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Conor Gallagher could be offloaded to accommodate Lavia.

Chelsea star's agents holding talks with Manchester City: Reports

According to N1, Mateo Kovacic's agents are in London holding initial discussions with Manchester City ahead of a potential summer move. Pep Guardiola is said to be a big admirer of the £30 million-rated Chelsea midfielder.

With Ilkay Gundogan likely to join Barcelona and Kalvin Phillips garnering interest from Aston Villa, Manchester City have prioritized Kovacic's signature this summer. The reigning Premier League champions are hopeful of striking a deal below the Croatian's price tag as he is in the final 14 months of his deal at Stamford Bridge.

Kovacic has been a crucial figure for the west London side since arriving from Real Madrid initially on loan and then on a permanent basis for £40 million in 2019. So far, the 28-year-old has helped his club lift a total of four trophies.

Overall, the 2018 FIFA World Cup finalist has registered six goals and 14 assists in 217 games for the Blues.