Manchester City are reportedly preparing to try and re-sign Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia this summer, 12 months after selling him to Saints for £14m.
The 19-year-old’s progression at St Mary’s has been stunted by a hamstring injury picked up in September that ruled him out until November, by which time there was only two weeks until the World Cup break.
He provided an assist in the club’s shock 2-0 League Cup quarter-final win over City after netting against Chelsea in August. Lavia has started every league game for Southampton in 2023.
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The midfielder has been tipped for a bright future but has seen his side struggle in his first full season as a Premier League first-teamer with Southampton battling relegation. However, that apparently hasn’t stopped City from considering facilitating a return for Lavia, who made two first-team appearances before his Etihad exit.
City have a buy-back clause in the deal but that does not become active until summer 2024. However, it is thought the champions could go in for the Belgian anyway if Ilkay Gundogan leaves when his contract ends this summer.
Speaking about his future over the weekend, Lavia said: "I don’t read it because I just don’t think about it. I just enjoy my football and focus on what we have to do as a club.
"Whatever is outside, it is not what I can control, so I don’t pay attention to that. Football, with how it goes, it goes so fast. One moment you can be in the headlines and the next, you’re not. So the only thing to do is just be neutral, don’t think about it and get your head down and work."
Meanwhile, Calciomercato claims Juventus are keeping tabs on Aymeric Laporte with Max Allegri keen on recruiting a left-footed centre-back. Reports suggest an exit for the Spain international could materialise if Pep Guardiola brings in Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig.
Italian rivals AC Milan and Roma are also reportedly in the race with Juventus for Laporte as are Barcelona and former club Athletic Bilbao.
After undergoing knee surgery at the start of the season, the centre-half has played just 15 times having started just three Premier League games in 2023 with Nathan Ake seemingly now ahead of him in the pecking order.
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