Romeo Lavia: Southampton sign 18-year-old from Manchester City for £10.5m
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Romeo Lavia made his first and only senior appearance for Manchester City in the League Cup last season
Southampton have signed midfielder Romeo Lavia from Manchester City for a fee which could rise to £14m.
The deal is believed to be worth an initial £10.5m with a further £3.5m in add-ons and a 20% sell-on clause.
City also have a buy-back option for the Belgium Under-18 international, who joined from Anderlecht in 2020 and made his senior debut for the Blues in the Carabao Cup last season.
"My Manchester City journey has come to an end," Lavia posted on social media.
"I've developed into an even better player, person and it was also an honour to make my debut for this massive club."
He added: "I think this club has a really good culture with young players, so I'm really happy to be here.
"When I heard of the interest of Southampton I was buzzing because there's an opportunity for young players to develop as much as possible and I'm very excited."
Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl said: "We are very excited to sign Romeo ahead of many other interested clubs. It proves that we have a positive reputation for improving young players, which we have worked hard to build up over the years.
"Romeo is coming from one of the best teams in the world, learning from the best manager and the best players. Now it is up to him to show us why he deserves to play in the Premier League, as we hope to help take his game to the next level."
Lavia is Southampton's fourth signing of the summer window after bringing in goalkeepers Gavin Bazunu and Mateusz Lis, as well as centre-back Armel Bella-Kotchap.
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