Manchester United are still in the market to sign a new midfielder after reportedly passing up the opportunity to sign Romeo Lavia from Chelsea in the summer
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox
Man United rejected the proposal to sign Romeo Lavia in the summer
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Manchester United reportedly turned down director of football Jason Wilcox's proposal to sign Romeo Lavia in a player-swap deal involving Alejandro Garnacho in the summer.
This week, the Manchester Evening News reportedthat United rejected the chance of swapping Garnacho for Lavia despite the Chelsea star previously impressing Pep Guardiola. Garnacho's future was cast into doubt at the end of last season following his comments about United's season which saw them finish 15th in the Premier League.
The Argentine later secured a £40million move to Stamford Bridge, which Chelsea are understood to have offered Lavia as part of the deal for Garnacho at the time. The club were heavily linked with Brighton's Carlos Baleba, though a move did not materialise due to his £100million price tag.
The Daily Mail claims that it was Wilcox, who previously worked at Manchester City and Southampton, Lavia's two clubs before Chelsea, who asked about the 21-year-old's availability. However, United rejected the proposal due to fitness concerns.
Romeo Lavia
Romeo Lavia in action for Chelsea(Image: Getty Images)
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The youngster has long been regarded as a top talent but his time at Chelsea has been impacted by fitness problems. He suffered a quadriceps injury during Chelsea's 2-2 Champions League draw with Qarabag earlier this month
Lavia received plaudits from Guardiola in April 2023, with the City boss hailing his progress: "I am really impressed with what Romeo has done and is doing."
"We had, and we have, an incredible opinion about him. We thought to keep him, but maybe he would not (get) enough minutes like he has in Southampton."
United are expected to re-enter the transfer market in January in search of midfield reinforcements, with another move for Baleba or Stuttgart's Angelo Stiller among the options. But the club might not be in this situation had they accepted Chelsea's reported offer for Lavia.