There were not many players who escaped from St Mary's Stadium with any credit in the bank last season. One that did, however, was Romeo Lavia.
Southampton's dismal performances resulted in a deserved relegation from the Premier League and they now face the unenviable challenge of navigating the ruthless Championship in an attempt to return to the top tier.
The Saints will likely have a big budget to work with next campaign though, especially when the bidding war for young Lavia commences. The Belgian is wanted by Arsenal and Liverpool chiefly, but is also admired by a host of the world's biggest clubs.
Southampton have no chance of holding onto their defensive-midfielder, nor will they particularly want to knowing the size of the transfer fee they can expect for him. An auction for Lavia appears increasingly imminent.
But why is Lavia in such high-demand? Let's have a look at his strengths...
Why do top clubs want to sign Romeo Lavia?
A traditional number six, Lavia is not one for finding himself too far up the pitch. His greatest attributes are his defensive qualities, snapping into tackles and using his physicality to regain possession.
He averages 2.43 tackles per 90, as well as 1.34 interceptions and 1.9 blocks, highlighting his ability to screen a defence and stop danger at source. Lavia reads the game incredibly well for someone of such a tender age and stood out as Southampton's key performer alongside James Ward-Prowse last season.
Having previously spoken of his idolisation of Fernandinho and the honour of getting to work with him, albeit briefly, you can see parallels between the pair.
Lavia also boasts a good passing range if not spectacularly efficient with an 86.2% accuracy in the Premier League last season. He was particularly adept at picking out medium and long passes when compared to his midfield peers.
Which clubs want Romeo Lavia?
The real question is who wouldn't want to sign Lavia? The answer: nobody.
However, it appears the Premier League's big dogs are the ones battling it out for his signature, with two clubs seemingly at the front of the queue.
Liverpool have shown significant interest in the youngster, with the Reds viewing Lavia as Fabinho's potential heir. Having already added Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai to their ranks, there are contrasting reports on whether or not Liverpool will bring a third midfielder to Anfield.
Arsenal are the other club that have been most prominently linked with the Belgian. With an official announcement of Declan Rice imminent, there are question marks over whether the Gunners need another defensive midfielder. Granit Xhaka has already left the club and Thomas Partey could follow, in which case Mikel Arteta would definitely have to enter the market again.
Keeping tabs on the starlet, Chelsea, Manchester United and Newcastle all remain in the loop. Newcastle's acquisition of Sandro Tonali may scupper plans for a move, while Chelsea's priority is Moises Caicedo. United would likely have to move on the likes of Fred or Scott McTominay to facilitate a move.
While unlikely, there is still the possibility that Lavia ends up at champions Manchester City. The treble-winners have a £40m buy-back clause in his contract having sold him to Southampton, but it does not become active until next summer and would obviously cease to exist should he move elsewhere this transfer window.
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The details of a deal for Romeo Lavia
Given City's buy-back clause, it is unlikely that Southampton would accept £40m or less for Lavia this summer. The Saints apparently want in excess of £50m for the midfielder and will be eager for as many clubs to show interest as possible to encourage a bidding war.
Considering the south coast side only paid a maximum of £14m for Lavia, they will make a tidy profit on a player just a year after capturing his signature. For whoever comes in for the Saints' number 45, it will prove a worthwhile signing.
On this week's edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders is joined by Toby Cudworth and Graeme Bailey to discuss Man Utd closing in on Inter goalkeeper Andre Onana, Chelsea's push for Moises Caicedo, Dusan Vlahovic, Romeo Lavia, the future of Real Madrid's Federico Valverde & more!
If you can't see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!
This article was originally published on 90min as Why do top clubs want to sign Romeo Lavia?.
