This summer, with Chelsea concentrating on Moises Caicedo, Arsenal and Liverpool have both surpassed the Blues in the race to sign highly regarded Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia.

In the race to sign Romeo Lavia from Southampton this summer, Arsenal and Liverpool have both edged out Chelsea.

football.London has learned that Chelsea and Saints had preliminary discussions about a potential transfer for the Belgian midfielder last month, but interest has reportedly waned recently. With Manchester City having a £40 million buy-back option that becomes available next summer, Southampton is asking for £50 million for Lavia.

The 19-year-old defensive midfielder is still a target for Chelsea, but at the moment, at least in terms of the midfield, they are focused on Brighton’s Moises Caicedo. The Ecuadorian international, who has verbally agreed to move to Stamford Bridge on personal terms, has recently reopened negotiations with the Seagulls.

Chelsea’s challenge, however, is reaching a deal with Brighton, who have a reputation for being shrewd negotiators when it comes to offloading their star players in recent transfer windows. Caicedo’s desire to leave the team was discussed with Roberto De Zerbi throughout the season, but Brighton are asking for around £80 million for him, and Chelsea do not want to pay that amount as a one-time fee.

As they have done over the past 12 months with players like Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk, and Wesley Fofana, the Blues would prefer to structure the deal in a different way. When negotiating with Brighton, the residents of west London would want to add extras and potential bonuses.

Chelsea’s attention has been directed toward acquiring Caicedo, so their interest in Lavia has been put on hold—at least for the time being. Following the Saints’ relegation to the Championship, both Liverpool and Arsenal have recently spoken with Southampton to discuss the future of the Belgian international.

The Gunners intend to make a move for Lavia in the upcoming weeks while also completing the more than £100 million acquisition of Declan Rice. Ahead of the upcoming season, Liverpool, who has already added Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai to their midfield ranks, is also looking to add Lavia.

Football was informed by a source.
This is bad news for Chelsea as it follows reports from London that negotiations with Liverpool regarding a move to Anfield have “gone well” lately. Although Chelsea hasn’t been completely eliminated from the running, the Lavia deal is becoming less and less likely as time goes on because Caicedo is now the center of attention.

More news……..

In response to another Chelsea player leaving, Tammy Abraham and Kai Havertz post on Instagram.

As another first-team player left Chelsea, AC Milan yesterday officially announced the signing of Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Due to the sheer volume of player sales this summer, Chelsea fans will grow accustomed to saying goodbye, but Friday’s departure of Ruben Loftus-Cheek may be more painful than most.

After making the transition from the Blues academy to the senior team, the 27-year-old midfielder has become a huge fan favorite at Stamford Bridge.

After 155 first-team appearances for his boyhood club, he departs.

He then makes the bold decision to relocate to Italy in order to try to succeed with AC Milan during his prime years.

Following the confirmation of his transfer to Milan, Loftus-Cheek posted a tearful statement on Instagram.

Numerous people have praised him in the comments, including his former teammates Kai Havertz and Tammy Abraham.

Havertz, an attacking midfielder for Arsenal who was recently traded by Chelsea, responded to Loftus-Cheek. Take care, my brother, he said. ”.

A heartfelt response was posted by Roma striker Abraham in another place.
All the best, brother.
”.

It sounds as though Loftus-Cheek was equally well-liked in the locker room as he was in the crowd.

We will undoubtedly wish him success in the renowned red and black in Milan.

With so many members of the squad departing, it really does feel like Chelsea is starting a new chapter.

Hopefully, Mauricio Pochettino, our new head coach, will be the ideal leader to turn things around and get us back to competing at the highest level.