Summary
West Ham United could make a move for Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia, according to ExWHUEmployee.
The club would make the move if the other reported moves from the Belgian don't materialise.
What is the latest Romeo Lavia transfer news?
It looks increasingly likely that Lavia is going to depart Southampton in the coming days.
In recent hours, reports have emerged stating that Liverpool have had an opening bid of £37m rejected by the Saints for Lavia, with the South Coast side holding out for a fee closer to £50m due to the buyback clause inserted into the deal as well as the 20% sell on clause.
The Merseyside outfit are not the only side interested in the 19-year-old, with Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester City all registering an interest in the player following a fine first season in the Premier League.
The 19-year-old midfielder made 29 league appearances for Southampton last season and scored one goal, earning many plaudits from those in the media, with The Athletic journalist Jacob Tanswell naming the midfielder as his Southampton Player of the Year, whilst describing Lavia by saying "If Romeo Lavia walked under a bucket of water, he would emerge without a splash on his clothes."
The midfielder is also highly thought of by fellow Belgian international Kevin De Bruyne, who stated in an interview last year: "He [Lavia] is very good. He's been training with us since the end of last year. If he continues his development, I think he'll be a top player."
Speaking on The West Ham Way podcast, ExWHUEmployee stated that due to the club's willingness to pay £50m for Palhinha, should none of the aforementioned clubs sign Lavia, the Hammers could swoop in: "The situation with Romeo Lavia at Southampton is interesting. Now Liverpool didn’t bid £50m for him because they saw that as too much, but £50m is what we were prepared to pay for Palhinha, so it shows that we would be prepared to pay that for a defensive midfielder. He’s been linked with Chelsea and Manchester City and Liverpool, so he’s got a whole host of top clubs in for him however if none of those moves materialise he’s definitely someone we like, but someone we haven’t moved for because we thought he would go elsewhere, so it’s definitely one to keep an eye on."
Would Romeo Lavia be a good Declan Rice replacement?
Lavia, who has been hailed as a "monster", shares a number of similarities to the former West Ham captain that would make him an interesting replacement.
Both have very similar passing completion percentages at 86%, whilst also sharing a quality when it comes to tackling, however where Rice excels at interceptions, Lavia instead excels at blocks. The England international is also statistically a much bigger threat in the final third whilst also being a better progresser of the ball in all phases of the game. However, this data is skewed due to the situations both players found themselves in, with Lavia playing in a much more defensive and lower quality side compared to West Ham.
Diving into the more advanced stats, you can see the similarities between the two and why the Belgian could be the ideal replacement. @SawkurGod on Twitter posted a graph showcasing the best duel winners under the age of 24 in the Premier League last year and Lavia was the closest competitor to Rice in that category, with Brighton and Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo joining them in the elite tier. This shows that the quality is there and a better situation would allow the 19-year-old to truly kick on and showcase his talents consistently
