Arsenal could now reportedly miss out on signing Southampton’s Romeo Lavia due to the time it is taking to snap up Declan Rice.
That’s according to Football Transfers, which claims that both Liverpool and Chelsea have moved ahead of Arsenal in the race to sign Lavia.
Mikel Arteta looks set to re-shape his midfield this summer with the likes of Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka and Jorginho all linked with moves away from the club.
The Gunners have already had two bids rejected for Rice as they bid to land Arteta’s top target.
They will now face added competition to snap up the 24-year-old after Manchester City submitted an official bid for the England star last night.
And with Arsenal locked in talks with West Ham over signing Rice, it could lead to them missing out on Lavia.
Arsenal could miss out on Lavia
Football Transfers claims the Gunners have already held talks over signing Lavia from Southampton this summer.
It’s noted that Arsenal were ‘well positioned’ to snap up the 19-year-old, with Saints valuing him at around £40 million.
But they could now miss out on the youngster to Liverpool or Chelsea due to the time it is taking to complete a deal for Rice and sell Partey.
Lavia has impressed at Southampton after making the switch to the south coast from Man City last summer.
The Belgian midfielder has been labelled an ‘incredible’ talent and is already attracting interest from a host of top clubs.
Of course, it’s widely acknowledged that Rice is Arsenal’s top target this summer, but it seems unlikely that the north Londoners would allow the deal to hinder their chances of signing Lavia.
It’s more likely that Arsenal are waiting to offload players in midfield before firming up their interest in the Saints star.
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