Southampton are close to completing a deal for Manchester City midfielder Romeo Lavia, according to the Athletic, after Leeds United’s interest in the teenager cooled. The 18-year-old was a target for Victor Orta and a potential makeweight in City’s pursuit of Kalvin Phillips, along with attacking midfielder James McAtee.
But Leeds instead went in for Darko Gyabi and the former Millwall academy product looks to be on his way to West Yorkshire for around £5million. That opened the door for fellow admirers of Lavia and Saints look to have won the race for the defensive midfielder, with a fee believed to be around £10million.
The deal also reportedly includes a buy back clause for Man City, and the Premier League champions believe the teenager will one day be good enough to star in their first-team set up. City look set to sign midfield lynchpin Phillips in the coming days after securing a deal with Leeds for an initial £42million.
That deal will see Gyabi come the other way for around £5million, and he looks likely to join up with the under-21s side in the Premier League 2 Division 2, before quickly applying pressure into the first-team, if all goes as expected. Leeds have held interest in both Lavia - although that is no longer - and McAtee as Pep Guardiola’s side look to offload some young talent to bring in some funds and appease Financial Fair Play regulations.
Victor Orta is still believed to be keen on a deal for 19-year-old McAtee, who racked up 18 goals and seven assists in 23 Premier League 2 appearances. Leeds have been linked with a permanent deal for the teenage sensation, with Brighton and Southampton also eyeing City’s talent.
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