LONDON, Aug 16 ― Chelsea have reached an agreement to sign Belgium midfielder Romeo Lavia from Southampton, according to media reports yesterday.

The BBC reported that Chelsea agreed a fee of £53 million (RM312 million) for the 19-year-old.

Lavia signed for Manchester City in 2020 but made just two appearances for the club before joining Saints in July 2022 for £10.5 million.

The defensive midfielder played 34 games in all competitions for the south-coast club, scoring once but was unable to prevent Southampton's relegation from the Premier League.

Liverpool also made a bid for Lavia but missed out on the Belgian who will now join Chelsea's British record signing Moises Caicedo at Stamford Bridge. ― Reuters