£50m Chelsea target now left out of squad for tonight’s game, amid reports Blues have held talks to sign him

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Chelsea target Romeo Lavia has now been left out of the Southampton squad by Russell Martin amid growing uncertainty about his future.

The Saints take on Gillingham in the Carabao Cup tonight (Tuesday) – and they will have to do so without the Belgium international.

So, what is the situation involving Chelsea and Romeo Lavia? Let’s take a look…

What’s the story?

Well – according to the Daily Mail – Chelsea are in talks to sign the Belgian from Southampton.

Respected journalist Sacha Tavolieri even claimed that the Blues had made an “ultimate offer” to sign Lavia, after Liverpool opened the bidding.

Now, there has been an interesting development as the 19-year-old is left out by Southampton.

Fabrizio Romano mentioned this update on Twitter, adding that Lavia remains in talks with Liverpool – there was no sight of Chelsea’s name, which suggests the Reds are leading the race.

However, Chelsea are certainly lurking in this transfer battle, and a move to Stamford Bridge cannot be ruled out for the teenager – Southampton want £50m for their midfield maestro.

Lavia shone in the Premier League last season following a £14m move from Manchester City in July 2022 – amazingly, it was his first campaign in senior football, let alone England’s top-flight.

Chelsea have secret weapon to sign Romeo Lavia

Interestingly, Chelsea actually have an ace up their sleeve in this transfer saga, with Joe Shields currently working at Stamford Bridge as Co-Director of Recruitment and Talent. 

It was the 36-year-old who signed Lavia for Southampton last summer, and also worked with the prodigy at Manchester City where he aided his development.

Fabrizio Romano has even told Chelsea fans to keep an eye out for Lavia arriving in west London, purely due to the presence of Shields at Stamford Bridge.

In that respect, be sure to keep an eye on this developing situation.