Southampton s Romeo Lavia, left, and Arsenal s Martin Odegaard vie for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Southampton at Emirates stadium in London, on April 21, 2023. AP
The Belgium international signed a seven-year deal after reportedly rejecting a proposed move to Liverpool.
The spending spree at Stamford Bridge continues with Lavia arriving just days after Chelsea signed Ecuador midfielder Moises Caicedo from Brighton for a reported 115 million pounds ($146 million). Caicedo's signing took Chelsea's spending on players to $1 billion in 15 months under its new American owners.
The highly rated Lavia has played only 29 times in the Premier League.
“I'm really happy to join Chelsea and be a part of this exciting project,” Lavia said in Chelsea's announcement. “It’s an amazing football club with a great history and I’m really excited to get started. I can’t wait to meet all my new teammates and build a chemistry together to achieve great things together.”
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