There don't seem to be many obvious midfield targets for Manchester City at the moment.
City moved quickly to at least get another player in following the departure of Ilkay Gundogan. Mateo Kovacic may not be seen as a direct replacement by the club but he has taken the No.8 and is in a similar dynamic, classy mould as the former captain.
With Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez, Bernardo Silva (for now), John Stones, Kalvin Phillips, Rico Lewis, Cole Palmer, James McAtee and probably even Jack Grealish at a push all capable of playing various midfield roles, Pep Guardiola still has plenty of options in the crucial area but the club was keen to strengthen further. A massive £95million bid was lodged for West Ham talisman Declan Rice but when Arsenal raised their own offer to £105million in response, City bowed out of the running.
Since then it's gone all quiet on the midfield front. Only highly-rated Celta Vigo playmaker Gabri Veiga has been linked but the youngster looks to play more of an attacking role than the all-action, box-to-box, ball-winning, tempo-setting job Gundogan did to perfection.
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Instead, the Blues have turned their attention elsewhere. Centre-back Josko Gvardiol is now the top target as the club looks to complete a deal. MEN Sport understands RB Leipzig want £85m for the Croatian colossus plus additional performance-related payments. Though City are not yet ready to meet that valuation, despite advanced talks, all parties still expect a deal can be done.
Guardiola wants another high-quality defender given Aymeric Laporte and Joao Cancelo are expected to leave this summer while Kyle Walker's future also remains uncertain. The boss favoured a backline comprised entirely of centre-backs in the latter stages of the season so further recruitment in the area makes sense - although another full-back will likely be on the agenda if both Walker and Cancelo depart.
But midfield shouldn't be forgotten about completely. Yes, City have often made a mockery of anyone saying "they absolutely have to sign a player in this position" for years with their stubborn refusal to bring in a proper left-back but the move for Rice itself shows there is a feeling further recruitment is required.
City would have needed to bring in fresh blood for the middle of the park even if Gundogan had remained given the ageing profile of the midfield. De Bruyne is now 32 and Rodri at 26 is the youngest regular midfielder in the squad. 29-year-old Kovacic doesn't solve that problem.
But with Jude Bellingham and Alexis Mac Allister snapped up and Rice all but certainly heading for the Emirates, there aren't many stand-out candidates. City would be more than happy to wait a year rather than spend money for the sake of it but there is one intriguing option they could consider. And it's a familiar face.
Romeo Lavia left the Etihad for Southampton last summer after starring for the EDS and he made the step up to Premier League football with ease. The Saints struggled themselves and ultimately finished bottom but he was comfortably their best player.
Southampton actually started the season brightly and defeated Chelsea in their fifth game, with Lavia scoring a screamer, but he also picked up a hamstring injury in the match that ruled him out for two months. By the time he returned to action the wheels had fallen off and there was little he could do to pull his side out of their nosedive.
But Lavia still enjoyed a positive season personally and is now being linked with a big-money move just a year on. Southampton have stuck a £50million asking price on the Belgian and Liverpool appear to be the frontrunners at present, though Chelsea are also in the race while Manchester United are monitoring him as well.
That's some heavy hitters in the hunt for Lavia but City could hold an advantage over all of them. It's not clear if it will come into effect this summer or next but it's understood a £40million buy-back clause was inserted into his contract when he was sold to Southampton. If it is active this year, then the Blues have the chance to undercut their rivals to sign him.
And even if it isn't, an extra £10million or so would hardly break the bank. They also have the opportunity to match any bid made for the player. City are unlikely to find any other suitable options for such a decent price - Brighton want £80million for Moises Caicedo, for example - and in Lavia they would be getting a player already familiar with Guardiola's demands.
The Blues boss remains a big fan of the 19-year-old and was impressed by his two senior appearances but he was allowed to leave in order to get more opportunities to further his development. Guardiola said last season: “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."
Lavia took the brave decision to leave the safety net of City and proved he is a good Premier League player with plenty of room to get even better still. And to make it even sweeter, a move would stop any rivals getting their hands on him.
With midfield no longer the biggest priority, a cut-price move for a promising youngster who already knows the club would tick a lot of boxes.
