Pep Guardiola has heaped praise on Arsenal transfer target Romeo Lavia ahead of Manchester City’s upcoming clash against Southampton.
City put a £40 million (BBC Sport) buy-back clause in his contract after he was sold to the Saints, but in early March, a report revealed that Mikel Arteta’s side were keen on his signature.
As Arsenal stay prepared in the hopes of completing a transfer involving Romeo Lavia, Pep Guardiola has seemingly stamped his seal of approval.
Guardiola raves about Arsenal target Lavia
The 19-year-old has been a revelation since his switch to St. Mary’s, cementing his position as one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League this season.
So much so that it seems like every ‘Big Six’ club have hatched a plan to complete his signing, as his buy-back clause only gets triggered in 2024.
In his latest press conference, Pep Guardiola was in awe of Arsenal transfer target Romeo Lavia and the impact he has made in a Southampton shirt so far.
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“Really impressed with what Romeo is doing, we had and have an incredible opinion about him. We thought to keep him but we thought maybe he doesn’t get enough minutes like he’ll get in Southampton”, he told Manchester Evening News’ Daniel Murphy.
HITC View: Arsenal would be signing an absolute gem in the teenager
First things first, if Pep Guardiola thinks Romeo Lavia is the real deal, so should Arsenal as they eye a potential summer transfer.
While Lavia was expected to grab headlines at Southampton, his impact was not expected to be to a level where he looks like a truly elite prospect.
Sure, Thomas Partey may remain the Gunners’ first-choice defensive midfielder.
But to the Belgian international’s credit, he could not just succeed but also surpass Partey at the Emirates Stadium; that is how high his ceiling is.
In other news, ‘They will win it’: Glenn Hoddle makes Europa League claim about Aston Villa
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