Arsenal are readying a move for Southampton starlet Romeo Lavia once they have completed the signing of West Ham United captain Declan Rice, according to recent reports.
football.london reported back in January that Rice was the Gunners' priority target for central midfield, with Mikel Arteta a huge admirer of the player. Since then, the north Londoners have seen two bids for the England international rebuffed by the Hammers before the two clubs agreed on a £105 million fee in principle last week.
The structure of the payments still need to be ironed out before the move goes through, with West Ham understood to want a decent amount of the initial £100m up front, and this is the final sticking point. Even if a deal for Rice is finalised, Arteta's side are said to still be keen to bolster their options in the centre of the park.
