Aston Villa push for Romeo Lavia amid decision on continuing at Chelsea – report
Aston Villa are reportedly interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia amid his decision on continuing his career with the Blues.
Villa lost Amadou Onana to injury during the summer. The Belgian midfielder underwent knee surgery for his ACL, and will be sidelined for nine months.
Villa have used midfielders Boubacar Kamara, Joao Gomes and Lamare Bogarde in a similar role to the one Onana plays this season.
But Fussball News reports the Villans could be active in search of midfielders in January.
They state Chelsea man Romeo Lavia is high on the club’s list. Villa are said to be seriously considering the Belgian, having kept track of his progress in recent weeks.
Lavia is believed to be a suitable candidate to take the place of Onana, and manager Unai Emery is particularly impressed with his qualities.
It’s said the Belgian has the qualities Villa are looking for in their midfield, and the Villans are therefore preparing for potential talks with Chelsea.
Discussions about a potential transfer are already said to be ongoing through intermediaries.
Romeo Lavia doesn’t want to move
There is a bit of a roadblock, though, with the report stating firstly that Chelsea are not actively looking to sell Lavia – who has played more minutes than any of their other midfielders this season.
Following the summer sale of Enzo Fernandez without a new midfield addition, the likelihood of Chelsea letting any of their midfielders go seems slim.
Further to that, Lavia is said to feel comfortable with the Blues and therefore doesn’t want to force a transfer.
Those elements both seem to make it hard for Villa to land the Belgian, and their reported €35million (£29m) budget for him seems very low.
While it’s said the prospect of regular appearances could change Lavia’s view on the exit, that he’s been the most-used midfielder by Xabi Alonso at Chelsea this season means going anywhere else would not mean far more opportunities.
Villa links with Lavia come amid the suggestion that the Blues want to sign their own star midfielder Kamara, who’s started every Premier League game in the Villans’ midfield this campaign so far.
There also seems to be a slim chance of that deal going through, as it’s said the Midlanders don’t want to let the Frenchman go.
While Villa and Chelsea have done a lot of business of late, either of these transfers appear unlikely.
