Chelsea have completed the £58 million transfer of Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia.

The base fee is £53 million, plus £5 million in add-ons, with the 19-year-old signing a seven-year contract at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea’s first-choice midfield this season will most likely be Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, and Lavia – a unit previously dubbed the ‘LFC midfield’ by Chelsea fans following Liverpool’s failed bids to buy both Lavia and Caicedo this summer.

Lavia said of his move to Chelsea, “I’m really happy to join Chelsea and be a part of this exciting project.” It’s an amazing football club with a fantastic history, and I’m very excited to get started.

“We are very pleased to welcome Romeo to Chelsea,” Chelsea co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said. He showed his quality in the Premier League last season at Southampton, demonstrating maturity despite his youth, and is a player we have been watching for some time.

Chelsea signed Lavia before Liverpool after the Reds struck a deal with Southampton.

The entire fee agreed upon by Liverpool and Southampton was £60 million, but the Belgian midfielder stated his preference for a move to Stamford Bridge.

Liverpool had lost Caicedo to Chelsea, who paid a British record £115 million for the Brighton midfielder. Liverpool had a £111 million bid accepted by Brighton, only for the 21-year-old to notify them that he was only interested in joining Chelsea.