Pep Guardiola heaps praises on former Manchester City youngster Romeo Lavia

The 19-year-old has been a shining light at Southampton after he was signed from Manchester City last summer. However, Chelsea has identified him as a potential transfer target in the summer.

After making two professional appearances at City, Lavia signed a five-year contract with Southampton. His 25 appearances in all competitions during his first season at Southampton have been impressive.

Since his move to Southampton the Belgian midfielder has caught the eye of his former manager Pep Guardiola who is pleased to see him doing so well for his new club.

Speaking ahead of City’s trip to Southampton this weekend, he said, “I am really impressed with what Romeo has done and is doing.

“We had, and we have, an incredible opinion about him.

“We thought to keep him, but maybe he would not [get] enough minutes like he has in Southampton.”

If Lavia keeps up his excellent performance, Chelsea may look to bring him in, which would propel him to the next level in his career.

In the summer, the Blues want to further up their efforts to recruit the Belgian as they look to bring in fresh and young talent to Stamford Bridge next season. 

The Saints may be forced to sell one of their best players if they get relegated from the Premier League this season. A move to Stamford Bridge would see the Blues make yet another signing on top of their nearly £600m spending spree since last summer.

Meanwhile, Chelsea, who are backed by the deep pockets of co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, are in the market for a new centre-forward as the club plans a summer outlay to solve the goal-scoring issues.