Romeo Lavia’s big-money move from Southampton to Chelsea is a mere formality as the highly-rated youngster is due to undergo his Stamford Bridge medical later today.

According to BBC, Chelsea and Southampton have agreed transfer fee of £53 million plus a further £5m in add-ons as the 19-year-old prepares to embark on a career in London.

Chelsea Beat Liverpool Twice in a Row

Lavia has been the subject of intense interest from Liverpool, but his unwavering desire to link up with Mauricio Pochettino’s side blew Jurgen Klopp out of the water.

His rejection has added insult to injury after Moises Caicedo turned down the Reds’ approach to commit his long-term future to Chelsea towards the end of last week.

Despite coming to terms with Brighton & Hove Albion, Liverpool couldn’t convince the 21-year-old midfielder to switch to Anfield as he only wanted to join Chelsea.

After weeks of protracted negotiations documented in detail on Football Today and other newspapers, the Blues have completed a record-breaking £115m signing of the Ecuador international amid the Merseyside heavyweights’ late attempt to hijack the deal.

The acquisitions of Caicedo and Lavia have brought Chelsea’s outlay under American owner Todd Boehly on the brink of a mind-blowing £1 billion threshold.

Chelsea’s lavish spending under Roman Abramovich’s successor has moved the boundaries the transfer market, making the London giants the only European side capable of competing with Saudi Arabia’s petrodollars.

It’s now up to Pochettino to figure out the best way to explore the potential of his newcomers as the Pensioners bid to return among the Premier League elite.

Bloated Midfield

While the new Chelsea midfield looks formidable on paper, Pochettino may have to make some cuts at the tail-end of the transfer window to ensure stability and regular first-team football for the newbies.

Despite offloading Ruben Loftus-Cheek, N’Golo Kante, and Mateo Kovacic, the Blues still have too many options in the middle of the park, which could create problems in the dressing room.

Pochettino’s predecessors, Graham Potter and Frank Lampard, were in a similar situation last season, but they failed to address the issue, leading to Chelsea’s disastrous 12th-place finish.

Before capturing Caicedo and Lavia, Andrey Santos and Lesley Ugochukwu moved to the Bridge from Vasco da Gama and Rennes, respectively.

Then, there’s last season’s marquee signing, Enzo Fernandez, who swapped Benfica for west London in a then-British record deal worth £106.8m.

If Pochettino’s formation in pre-season and a 1-1 draw against Liverpool in Sunday’s Premier League opener was anything to go by, the Argentine relies on a midfield double-pivot.

But since he currently has six midfielders at his disposal, including homegrown star Conor Gallagher, one may have to leave so the others can have a fair share of game time.

Who Could Hit the Road?

Gallagher was in the starting line-up against Liverpool, but he seems to be the likeliest candidate to wave goodbye to the Bridge.

The 23-year-old snubbed West Ham United before Caicedo’s arrival.

David Moyes had identified Gallagher as an ideal replacement for Declan Rice, who has swapped allegiances in the capital to team up with Arsenal in one of the most significant deals of the summer.

After being rejected by the ex-Crystal Palace ace, the Hammers have signed James Ward-Prowse from Southampton to fill the void.

With the West Ham hypothesis now off the table, Gallagher could end up joining Chelsea’s cross-city rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs have registered an interest in the England international as Ange Postecoglou looks for a proven midfielder to slot next to Yves Bissouma in his double-pivot.

Oliver Skipp enjoyed an impressive pre-season, but his performance in an action-packed 2-2 draw against Brentford in Tottenham’s Premier League curtain-raising fixture flattered to deceive.

Filled with cash after sanctioning Harry Kane’s transfer to Bayern Munich, Spurs could use a portion of the Englishman’s massive fee to prise Gallagher away from Chelsea.

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Chelsea, English Premier League