Southampton FC hit the jackpot with Manchester City transfer - They netted sweet £44 million profit | OneFootball

Making a £58 million move to Chelsea in 2023, Southampton made a hefty profit on Romeo Lavia after just one year at St Mary's.

Signing for Southampton in the summer of 2022, young Belgian talent Romeo Lavia went on to make the Saints a whopping £44 million profit just a year later as he made the move to Chelsea.

Despite Southampton's relegation at the end of the 2022/23 campaign, Lavia impressed enough to have the Premier League come calling for him once again.

Arriving from Manchester City for a fee of £10.5 million, rising to £14 million, Chelsea would come in with a deal worth £58 million the following summer, with Southampton making a hefty profit through a fantastic piece of business.

Lavia impresses despite Saints' relegation

The 20-year-old provided one goal and one assist across 34 appearances during his time on the south coast, and his performances were one of the few positives in a dismal season that saw the club's 11-year stay in the top flight come to an end.

A remarkably press-resistant midfielder with a high level of technical security, Lavia's strength, athleticism and overall presence in midfield caught the eye as the rest of the side struggled under the guidance of Ralph Hasenhüttl, Nathan Jones and Ruben Selles.

His displays did not go unnoticed, with the midfielder being handed his first international cap for Belgium as they beat Germany 3-2 at Borussia Dortmund's Westfalenstadion.

It was evident that he would need time and patience at just 19; however, the talent was there to see.

It was always unlikely that Saints would be able to keep hold of him as a result of their relegation. However, the following business proved fantastic for the club as they held out for their high valuation of the midfielder.

London calling for Romeo Lavia

Attracting interest from several top clubs in the summer of 2023, Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool, Lavia went on to join Chelsea in August for a fee of £53 million, rising to £58 million.

As has been the case with Cole Palmer, Jadon Sancho, Liam Delap and now potentially Jamie Gittens, Chelsea once again proved a viable landing spot for an ex-Manchester City youth talent.

Looking an exciting signing for the Blues as they spent big money on the aforementioned Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, Moises Caicedo and more. The Belgian has suffered with injuries throughout his time at the club under both Mauricio Pochettino and Enzo Maresca.

After making just one Premier League appearance in his first season at Stamford Bridge, Lavia went on to make 16 for Maresca's side last term.

Southampton hit the jackpot with the Lavia-Chelsea deal

While Lavia's potential was there to see, the argument was, and still is there, that Chelsea had once again overpaid for a player. And despite his uptick in minutes this season, his time in West London has not helped that perception.

He is a long-term signing for Chelsea, and his talent will likely see him become a key player for either the Blues or another top club across the continent.

However, for his price tag, Southampton were able to get the absolute best out of the deal. For a player with just one season of professional football under his belt at the time, the Saints hit the jackpot with Romeo Lavia.