attempted to sign Southampton defensive midfielder Romeo Lavia with a £50m bid on deadline day, according to reports.
The 18-year-old Belgium youth international scored the opening goal as the Saints beat the Blues 2-1 on Tuesday.
Lavia only moved to Southampton in July, signing a five-year contract after joining from .
But that didn’t stop Chelsea bidding £50m to sign him before Thursday’s 11pm transfer window deadline, according to local outlet the .
That offer was swiftly rejected, with the south coast club viewing him as untouchable.
Lavia, who is set for a spell on the sidelines with injury, joined Southampton for £12m plus add-ons and Pep Guardiola’s side have a buy back option for £40m.
After missing out on Lavia, Chelsea instead opted to bring in fellow defensive midfielder Denis Zakaria, who arrived on loan from Italian side Juventus.
had been desperate to bolster his midfield options after a mixed start to the season, with his side winning three, drawing one and losing two from their opening six games.
Zakaria, a 25-year-old Switzerland international, made his name at Borussia Monchengladbach and only moved to Juventus back in January, but now arrives in west London as Chelsea aim to once again finish in the top four.
‘I’m very happy and proud to be a Blue and I cannot wait to see you soon at Stamford Bridge,’ Zakaria told Chelsea’s website after his deadline day switch.
Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly added: ‘Denis is a talented midfielder with lots of quality and skill.
‘He will add depth and range to our squad this season, and we are looking forward to watching him play in Chelsea blue.’
The Blues have only missed out on the top four once in the last six seasons and they return to top-flight action on Saturday when they travel to face Fulham.
, .
, and .
