Romeo Lavia: Why Man United turned down Chelsea’s offer to sign midfield general

Manchester United turned down the chance to seal a deal for Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia during the summer transfer window, it has now emerged.

Last summer, United spent most of their time and money trying to fix the attack after a dreadful 2024/25 season in front of goal.

The club forked out north of £200m on the additions of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko from Wolverhampton Wanderers, Brentford and RB Leipzig respectively. United also snapped up Senne Lammens on deadline day from Belgian outfit Royal Antwerp.

At one point in the window, United explored the possibility of signing a midfielder, with Carlos Baleba identified as their priority target. However, Ruben Amorim’s side ditched plans to address this part of the pitch after learning of Brighton’s excessive asking price.

United are believed to be making plans to recruit a midfield in the summer of 2026. Baleba, Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace), Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest) and Angelo Stiller (Stuttgart) are some of the names on the club’s transfer wishlist.

According to ESPN , Chelsea offered United the chance to sign Lavia during negotiations for Alejandro Garnacho.

Garnacho moved to Chelsea in August for £40m. It’s understood that Chelsea floated the idea of Lavia going the other way but United were not interested due to the midfielder’s poor injury record.

Mark Ogden reveals, “Although the need for midfield reinforcements had been acknowledged by the recruitment team, sources told ESPN that United rejected Chelsea’s offer of Romeo Lavia as part of the deal that saw Alejandro Garnacho move to Stamford Bridge, ultimately for £40 million, due to concerns over the 21-year-old’s fitness record.”

Lavia has endured a torrid time since joining Chelsea in 2023 from Southampton. Chelsea paid £58m to secure his services.

Injuries saw Lavia play just one game in his maiden campaign at Stamford Bridge. While he is an influential player and an undeniable talent when available, Lavia has yet to complete a full 90 minutes of competitive football in two-and-a-half years. In April, Enzo Maresca branded him “one of the best midfielders” around but also lamented his injury woes.

The 21-year-old has missed a total of 88 games due to fitness issues.

He is sidelined at the moment after suffering another setback in Chelsea’s 2-2 Champions League draw at Qarabag last week.

Lavia has managed just 29 appearances for the Blues.

Featured image Ryan Pierse via Getty Images

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