Chelsea could have free run at second favourite Premier League target according to exclusive

Of all the Premier League central midfielders Chelsea could sign this summer, Moises Caicedo og Brighton looks like their favourite. However before any bids have gone in he already looks like he will be too expensive. Figures north of £80m are being mentioned.

Second choice seems to be relegated Southampton’s Romeo Lavia, who had a nice debut campaign in the top flight despite his club’s struggles.

Football Insider today have an exclusive which claims that one of our competitors (Liverpool) are desperate to avoid overpaying and getting into a bidding war, and will only pursue Lavia if they know that he wants a move there above anything else. If that’s true, that could be a huge boost for Chelsea’s chances of signing Lavia for a relatively modest fee.

The same piece cites Southampton asking price for Lavia at £45m, but that would of course be driven significantly higher if Liverpool were to get involved in a bidding war. The fact that they specifically want to avoid that could spell a cheap deal for Chelsea, against all odds. If you can’t get your top target, your second choice at a bargain price is not a bad idea.