Members of Chelsea staff are reportedly not convinced about the proposed signing of Southampton's Romeo Lavia this summer.
The 19-year-old has been a shining light in a difficult season for the Saints, but he was unable to help them stave off relegation to the Championship.
Despite struggling with a hamstring injury, Lavia nailed down a regular starting role in his first season at St Mary's since leaving Manchester City in a £10.7m deal last summer.
The teenager has one goal and one assist to show from 34 games for Ruben Selles's side, with that solitary strike coming in a 2-1 win over Chelsea in August.
With 20th-placed Southampton now confirmed to be dropping down to the Championship, Lavia is not expected to continue at St Mary's, despite his long-running contract until 2027.
© Reuters
Man City are understood to possess a £40m buyback clause for Lavia, but the Premier League champions cannot activate that option until the summer of 2024.
As a result, an intense battle for his signature could materialise in the upcoming window, and Chelsea are believed to be one of several interested parties alongside Liverpool and Arsenal.
Blues director of recruitment Joe Shields is understood to have taken a liking to Lavia after keeping tabs on him throughout the season, but according to the Daily Mail, not everyone behind the scenes at Stamford Bridge is convinced.
It is not clear why some members of the Chelsea staff have reservations over a move for Lavia, but the club have a number of alternative options to the 19-year-old if Shields does not get his way.
Sporting Lisbon's Manuel Ugarte is also believed to be on the Blues' radar, and they have apparently been handed a boost in their pursuit of the Uruguayan after Liverpool dropped their interest.
© Reuters
Ugarte's agent has confirmed that his client is likely to leave the Portuguese club this summer, and he could fetch a fee in the region of £53m, but Aston Villa are ready to rival Chelsea for his signature.
Incoming head coach Mauricio Pochettino is expected to lead a major summer reshuffle ahead of his debut season, and a host of midfielders could be on the way out of Stamford Bridge.
The futures of Conor Gallagher, Mateo Kovacic, N'Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are all up in the air, while Juventus loanee Denis Zakaria is unlikely to join permanently.
Loftus-Cheek is believed to be close to joining AC Milan, while Kante could leave as a free agent at the end of the season and is yet to sign a renewal, despite previous optimism that the Frenchman would pen fresh terms.
A 1-0 loss to Manchester City on Sunday marked a seventh defeat from nine games for Chelsea since Frank Lampard returned to the club, and the Blues travel to Manchester United on Thursday before hosting Newcastle United in their final game of a disappointing season.
