have completed the signing from Southampton.
The midfielder made it known to his club on Monday that he favoured a move to Stamford Bridge over Liverpool, who had had a similar £58million bid accepted, with a deal having been reached on Tuesday night for him to join the west club.
Lavia underwent a medical yesterday in advance of becoming the eighth first-team signing the club have made this summer and is now in contention to make his debut against on Sunday.
The 19-year-old is likely to form a key component of a new-looking engine room alongside Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo and he cannot wait to get started.
Upon completing his move, Lavia said: ‘I can’t wait to meet all my new team-mates and build a chemistry together to achieve great things together.
“I’m really happy join Chelsea and be a part of this exciting project. It’s an amazing football club with a great history and I’m really excited to get started.’
Co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said: ‘We are very pleased to welcome Romeo to Chelsea. He demonstrated his quality in the Premier League last season at Southampton, showing maturity despite his young age, and is a player we have monitored for some time.
‘We believe he is ready to make an impact at Chelsea throughout the current campaign, and in the coming years.’
Lavia spent just one solitary season at St Mary’s following his move from Manchester City last summer but issued a heartfelt farewell message before his transfer to Chelsea was confirmed.
He wrote on Instagram: ‘To Saints Fans. As I say goodbye, I want to say a big thank you for everything you have given me during my time here.
‘I’ve instantly felt the love from you all despite us not achieving our shared goals. I’ll never forget the belief the club and Saints all around the world showed me and I hope I was able to repay the faith you put in me.
‘I would especially like to thank all my teammates and all staff members within the club involved closely or not for putting your arms around me since the day I walked through the Staplewood Campus and for all the daily work and help behind the scenes making me become a better person, athlete and football player.
‘You have all played a massive part into making my integration into real professional football easier.
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