Chelsea have reportedly moved clear of Liverpool in the race to sign Romeo Lavia from Southampton.
Lavia is being chased by both clubs, but Chelsea are now believed to be in advanced talks for the young Belgian midfielder.
Liverpool have already had a £60m bid accepted by Southampton for the 19-year-old, but look set to miss out on another target.
That comes after Chelsea also beat the Reds to the signing of Moises Caicedo from Brighton & Hove Albion, with the move being confirmed on Monday evening.
Sky Sports News claims that Chelsea and Southampton have made progress in talks and Lavia has made it clear that Stamford Bridge is his preferred destination.
The report states that there is 'cautious optimism' from Chelsea's side that a deal will be reached and that Lavia will sign.
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With Lavia keen to join the club, it is also expected that finalising personal terms will not be an issue.
The situation is almost a carbon copy of the Caicedo saga, which started with Liverpool having an offer accepted before being told that the player would rather go to London.
Once again, Liverpool had a bid accepted first on Monday morning, but Lavia did not travel to Merseyside for a medical.
Instead, it appears that he looks set to follow suit in snubbing Jurgen Klopp to sign for Mauricio Pochettino.
With a move impending, Lavia has not featured for Southampton yet this season in the Championship or the EFL Cup.
The midfielder was an unused substitute at Sheffield Wednesday on the opening weekend, before being left out entirely for their matches against Gillingham and Norwich City.
Despite having four years left on his deal at St. Mary's following a move from Manchester City last summer, the Saints' relegation made an exit always likely, with Chelsea now looking like the destination.
Andrew Delaney
