Chelsea submit €45 million bid to sign Barcelona and Real Madrid target - Reports

Chelsea have reportedly submitted a €45 million bid for Southampton's Romeo Lavia, who has enjoyed a breakout season for the Saints. He left Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in 2022 and has been one of the best midfielders in the Premier League this season.

Lavia's performances have attracted interest from all over Europe, with Barcelona and Real Madrid among the admirers, as per Catalan newspaper El Nacional.

However, Chelsea are attempting to throw him a curveball, citing their acquisition of Mauricio Pochettino as a means to lure the young Belgian to the club.

🚨 Chelsea are in talks to convince Romeo Lavia to sign for the club alongside Mauricio Pochettino.

(Source: @footyinsider247) https://t.co/Qcu3DcOFfB

Romeo Lavia has made 31 appearances for Southampton across competitions this season. However, the Saints are rooted to the bottom of the Premier League and look destined for the drop barring a miracle. All signs point towards Lavia exiting the club in the upcoming transfer window, and Chelsea will look to put their best foot forward to turn the tide in their favor.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez had his sights on Lavia considering the struggles Aurelien Tchouameni faced in his first year with Los Blancos. Barcelona president Joan Laporta, too, scouted the youngster and viewed him as an ideal replacement for the ageing Sergio Busquets. However, Chelsea seem to have the ball in their park.

Incoming manager Pochettino has reportedly requested Blues owner Todd Boehly to splash the cash to acquire Romeo Lavia. The Argentine believes Lavia is the perfect successor to N'Golo Kante, whose contract situation remains up in the air.

The deal will not be easy to pull off as Southampton are adamant on their asking price, believed to be in the region of €45 million, nearly four times the sum they paid Manchester City just last summer.

Frank Lampard looking to end Chelsea's winless run against Bournemouth

Chelsea will make the trip to the south coast of England as they take on Bournemouth in a battle between two Premier League strugglers. However, much to everyone's surprise, the Cherries are in fact the team on the up while the Blues are a sinking ship under interim manager Frank Lampard.

Since the Englishman returned for his second stint as manager, the Blues have falled to six consecutive defeats and have scored just two goals during that period. They are currently 12th in the Premier League, level on points with Bournemouth with 39.

As one side looks to guarantee their survival in the competition for another year, the other will look to prevent from slipping further, especially considering their hefty £600 million investment in personnel.