Manchester City agreed a £10.5m deal with Southampton for Romeo Lavia to make the switch to St Mary’s after two years in the North-West, but it says a lot about Pep Guardiola that he’d allow a highly-rated 18-year-old to leave rather than develop him in the squad.
City can land themselves another £3.5m in add-ons, will make a percentage of the transfer if he’s sold on from Southampton and have a £40m buyback clause, so the Premier League champions can bring Lavia back to the Etihad Stadium if realises his potential.
City have covered themselves against making a mistake, but they’re still relinquishing developing him. To pay £40m rather than giving Lavia first-team opportunities speaks volumes about which type of player Guardiola deems worth his time.
Cole Palmer could be following in Phil Foden’s footsteps after impressing at youth level, but he’s an attacker who can be used as an impact player. Lavia is a defensive-midfielder who would operate in a key role, so Guardiola didn’t appear to trust him over signing Kalvin Phillips to replace Fernandinho.
Many are expecting Lavia to become a top player in years to come, so there’s every chance City end up paying to re-sign him. So why isn’t a coach and former Barcelona midfielder like Guardiola keeping a promising youngster?
Lavia would have excellent mentors in Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Rodri, but the teenager has been robbed of the opportunity after just two years.