On Monday, a story emerged claiming that Chelsea offered Romeo Lavia to Man United in exchange for Alejandro Garnacho.
After months of back and forth with the decision-makers at Old Trafford, Chelsea signed Garnacho from United towards the end of the window.
During that time, Chelsea reportedly offered Lavia to United in a swap deal, looking to minimise expenditure and offload a player who had fallen out of favour at Stamford Bridge.
But Fabrizio Romano disputes this claim as he explained in a recent YouTube video.
Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia about to play a pass
Photo by Shaun Brooks – CameraSport via Getty Images
Fabrizio Romano denies Romeo Lavia to Man Utd swap claims
In the world of football transfers, speculation is king. Monday’s Lavia report was more than that, with ESPN making the claim with confidence.
Romano has made his name from timely and, more importantly, accurate transfer news. While he gets it wrong from time to time — Samu Omorodion’s failed Chelsea move, for example — the Italian is usually spot on.
And he is claiming that the recent Lavia rumours are wide of the mark.
He says: “Guys, my information is that Chelsea and Man Utd never ever discussed for Romeo Lavia, according to my sources, Chelsea trust Romeo Lavia.
“Of course, the boy has had several injuries so Chelsea staff are doing their best to improve his physical condition. They did it with Reece James, and now the mission is to do the same with Romeo Lavia.”
There you have it. According to Romano no such offers were discussed.
Unfortunately, we can’t know for sure.
Chelsea’s actions suggest otherwise
While Romano seems confident Lavia was never on the table, it does throw into question Chelsea’s recent search for a new star midfielder.
If the plan is to stick with the Belgian, it doesn’t make total sense that the Blues are eyeing a move in the £100 million region for an England star.
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Chelsea are interested in Adam Wharton and Elliot Anderson, both of whom would command a mammoth fee and contest for minutes from the outset.
If either are to arrive, Lavia doesn’t look like being part of Enzo Maresca’s plans — healthy or not.