Arsenal are expected to make a late summer window push to sign Romeo Lavia from Southampton, but they will likely face stiff competition for his signature. Alongside the Gunners, Liverpool and Chelsea are also interested with several midfield summer acquisitions being eyed by all three Premier League giants.
Liverpool have already confirmed two arrivals for their engine room with Alexis Mac Allister joined by Dominik Szoboszlai who had his €70million (£60.1m) transfer from RB Leipzig confirmed on Sunday. At Emirates Stadium, a £65million deal for Kai Havertz has also been announced, while Arsenal are close to reaching a final agreement to sign Declan Rice from West Ham.
Finalising that £105million move before going on to sign Jurrien Timber are the next two priorities for Arteta and Edu, but both could be wrapped up by the end of the week. The Gunners could then formally pursue a move for Lavia, although Liverpool could also be officially in the race after opening talks and confirming to Lavia's camp they will bid for him this summer.
Having finalised the transfer of Szoboszlai, Jurgen Klopp's men look to have the early advantage and there is also a stumbling block the Gunners must overcome before making a move for Lavia. According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, the future of Thomas Partey will ultimately decide whether or not the Gunners sign Lavia, who Southampton want £50million for.
With Rice set to come in and take Partey's spot at the base of midfield, the Ghana international has been linked with a summer exit. Arsenal are said to be open to him leaving, but only if an adequate proposal arrives and thus far Saudi Arabian clubs and Juventus have shown an interest.
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Romano has also previously claimed that Saudi sides would be willing to pay Arsenal up to €40million (£34.4million) for Partey. The full fee would arrive through instalments but it is certainly better than the €18-20million (£15-17million), Sky Sport Italia report Juventus would offer, although Partey's preference is to stay in Europe.
In mid-June, it looked as though both Partey and Granit Xhaka would be leaving the club ahead of the 2023/24 season, but now both may stay. Talk surrounding formal moves for Partey has gone quiet, while the Gunners have upped their asking price to £20million for Xhaka who looked set to sign for Bayer Leverkusen.
football.london reported in late May that the Switzerland international was in advanced talks to sign for Leverkusen in a deal worth €15million (£13million). However, negotiations are now at a standstill, and if there is a chance Edu and Arteta can keep Xhaka in north London, they should absolutely take it.
Lavia and Partey may feature in the same position, but it's certainly safe to say they are very different players. The 11-year age gap means how they cover ground is far from similar and Lavia is also used to playing as part of a pivot alongside the more experienced James Ward-Prowse.
To fit with how Arteta hopes to build his squad, selling Partey, if a suitable offer arrives, to sign Lavia is the expected outcome. It must also be stressed that Lavia would not be a direct replacement for Partey as that would be Rice and that way Arteta can help the teenager develop his game without any major worries about whether or not he may struggle.
