#PLStories- Southampton sign young Manchester City midfielder Romeo Lavia #MCFC #SAINTSFC

SAINTS have completed the signing of Manchester City midfielder Romeo Lavia on a five-year-deal, becoming the fourth arrival of the summer for a reported inital fee of £10.5 million. The 18-year-old Belgium youth international is a natural ball-winner and will provide manager Ralph Hasenhuttl further competition and rotation for James Ward-Prowse and Oriol Romeu. Lavia had a rapid rise at Man City since his arrival from Anderlecht in summer 2020, winning the under-23s player of the season in his first campaign – just 17-years-old. Pep Guardiola gave the youngster senior debuts in both the EFL Cup and FA Cup last season, while he was a regular for the Cityzens in the UEFA Youth League. READ MORE: After signing his deal and completing a move to Staplewood, Lavia said: “I’m really delighted to join this club. "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.” Lavia is the second signing from Pep Guardiola’s Citizens, following 20-year-old goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu – who was the first player in at Staplewood Campus last month. Since then, Saints have also announced 25-year-old Polish shot-stopper Mateusz Lis and 20-year-old defender Armel Bella-Kotchap. Lavia continues Sport Republic’s policy of recruiting the best available youngsters from across the country, and giving them their first Premier League steps. On his new addition, Hasenhuttl added: “Roméo is an extremely talented young player at the start of his career who is open-minded and wants to learn and develop his game with us. “We are very excited to sign him 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. “Roméo 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.” A message from the Editor Thank you for reading this article - we appreciate your support in reading the Daily Echo. Subscribing to the Echo means you have unrestricted access to the latest news, features and Saints coverage - all with an advertising-light website. You will also have full access to Saintsplus, your new home for Southampton FC tactical analysis, features and much, much more. Don't take my word for it - subscribe here to see for yourself. Follow the latest breaking news in the Southampton area by joining our Facebook group - Southampton News - Breaking News and Incidents Follow the latest court and crime news on our dedicated Facebook group - Hampshire Court and Crime News