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Arsenal’s interest in Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia is far from a secret, however, news reported this week suggested that the Gunners are leading the pursuit.

Mikel Arteta is flexing his desire to bolster his squad this summer with Kai Havertz, Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber already set to wear the cannon next season, with the transfer window far from over.

As reported by Football Transfers, Arsenal have won the heart of Lavia, who ‘would prefer’ a move to the Emirates over links to Chelsea and Liverpool, putting the club in a 'good position' to sign the Belgian.

Saints are expected to ask for a fee in the region of £50m for the teenager, who only arrived on the south coast from Manchester City’s academy last summer.

Football Transfers added that a deal between Arsenal and the Belgian is moving slowly due to the movements currently going on in north London, with Rice arriving and Thomas Partey reportedly set to depart. That said, talks have been going 'very well' since they began back in April.

How good is Romeo Lavia?

In a dull season for Southampton, Lavia shone as a shining light in midfield for the Saints, sparking rumours that he will not follow the club to the Championship.

The teenager took his first shot at regular first-team football with a firm grasp, making his presence in the middle of the park known, acting as a monstrous figure sitting ahead of the defence.

Hailed as being a “shining star” by journalist Sam Tighe, the Belgian ranked in the top 4% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues in terms of blocks, averaging an impressive 1.90 per 90 to further state his dominance.

For Arsenal, a revamp of the midfield looks destined ahead of the new season, with Granit Xhaka departing and Partey also linked with a move away, the way Arteta’s side will look at the start of the campaign is unpredictable at this moment.

The speculated exits bring positive light in the Gunners’ pursuit of Lavia, who could add significant firepower and a jewel of youth in the Spaniard’s midfield.

It’s already expected that Havertz will be deployed in the middle of the park, making an exciting narrative should the Saints star also arrive at the Emirates, with numbers suggesting that the Belgian could get the best out of the former Chelsea sensation.

To operate as an attacking midfielder, it's imperative to have defensive support in order to balance the flow of the midfield.

Lavia could provide the German with significant cover in ways that Granit Xhaka did last season for Martin Odegaard, highlighted through his 1.02 tackles per 90, as well as providing a competent distribution to set play for the Norwegian, averaging 5.89 progressive passes per 90, via FBref.

The Belgian operated to a similar effect for the Saints as per FBref, averaging 4.13 progressive passes per 90 and excelling defensively with an average of 2.43 tackles and 1.34 interceptions per 90 in the Premier League.

The teenager has strengths in his passing ability and acts as an assured presence when dispatching the ball, making 4.09 passes into the final third per 90 on average last term while maintaining a pass completion rate of 86.2%, via FBref.

Havertz shone in the midfield at Bayer Leverkusen before making the switch to play in a more advanced role for Chelsea, registering 18 goal contributions in the 2019/20 in the Bundesliga.

The 23-year-old had the protection of the likes of Kerem Demirbay that term, who averaged 1.4 tackles per game in the bid to protect the midfield which ultimately allowed those ahead of him to flourish.

Equipping his side with a young player with the capabilities to play a pass and orchestrate the engine room could be a monumental shift in quality for Arteta.

West Ham United may be about to lose their captain, best player and all-round fan favourite, but the wider view of Declan Rice's imminent £105m switch to Arsenal is that David Moyes has funds to strengthen in multiple positions.

Who are West Ham United looking to sign?

John Cross claims in a report in The Mirror that West Ham have eyed up as many as seven newbies to bolster their ranks once the Rice sale – making him the second most-expensive British player of all time – officially goes through.

Among those being targeted by the Europa Conference League winners are Denis Zakaria of Juventus, Everton's Amadou Onana and Manchester United captain Harry Maguire.

While Maguire's name will not exactly get supporters' pulses racing all that much on the back of losing Rice, it is a move that could make sense in more ways than one.

The England international has fallen out of favour at Old Trafford and, according to TEAMtalk, he is available for £30m this summer – £50m cheaper than four years ago when he arrived at United from Leicester City.

Is Harry Maguire a good option for West Ham?

Maguire was restricted to just eight Premier League starts last season and a further eight appearances from the substitutes' bench after failing to win over head coach Erik ten Hag.

However, the 30-year-old – roughly entering the peak age for a centre-back – still performed to a high standard when called upon by Ten Hag last season, and likewise for England during the recent international break.

As Ten Hag himself said after bringing Maguire into the side for a Europa League tie against Real Betis in March, the Englishman has arguably become a "more dominant and dictating" defender, and one who is "taking more initiative."

FBref's player comparison model puts Maguire pretty much on a par with team-mate Raphael Varane and Real Madrid's Eder Militao in terms of their statistical profiles across the past 12 months, showing he is far from finished.

The 2.94 aerial duels Maguire won per 90 minutes last season, as per FBref, is higher than any West Ham defender (Angelo Ogbonna is highest ranked with 2.55), while his pass-completion percentage of 85.1 is again higher than any Hammers defenders from last season (Kurt Zouma 84.4).

There is no hiding from the fact that Maguire is not the colossus he was early in his United career, but Moyes may just be the perfect man to kick-start his career – just like he did with Jesse Lingard's.

Lingard joined West Ham on loan from Man United in January 2021 at a time when many had written off his Old Trafford career (sound familiar?), only to score nine goals and assist five more in 16 games for the Irons.

That was more goals in half a season than he managed in any of his six full campaigns in Manchester, which would earn him a place back in the United team the following season.

It may have only been a temporary revitalisation for Lingard, who flopped at Nottingham Forest last season having not found the net in the Premier League, but Moyes proved the man to get the best out of him at his lowest point.

Different positions they may be, but who is to say the Scotsman cannot now do the same with Maguire?

Tottenham Hotspur are set to approach Brentford to discuss a potential transfer fee for goalkeeper David Raya, according to Sky Sports.

What’s the latest Spurs transfer news involving Raya?

Spurs and new manager Ange Postecoglou look set for a relatively busy summer transfer window, with up to five new additions on the cards.

Reports have claimed that Postecoglou, chairman Daniel Levy, chief scout Leonardo Gabbanini and coach Ryan Mason have already held a transfer meeting. A new goalkeeper to come in and replace Hugo Lloris is on the agenda over the coming months, with Raya heavily linked with a move to north London.

Personal terms between the Spaniard and Spurs are allegedly already agreed, with a fee now needing to be agreed between the two clubs.

According to Sky Sports, Tottenham are expected to approach the Bees over a fee for Raya. The report states that Thomas Frank has previously said the goalkeeper is worth £40m, however, Spurs are reluctant to pay that amount.

How did Raya perform against Tottenham?

Raya is 27 years of age and has just 12 months remaining on his Brentford deal, with a new contract unlikely to be agreed, so now appears to be the best time for Spurs to make their move.

The shot-stopper appears to be at the top of his game with a career-high €25m Transfermarkt valuation and recently shone against Spurs. Raya outperformed every Tottenham player aside from Harry Kane in the 3-1 win for the Bees last month, as per SofaScore, recording six saves. BBC pundit Garth Crooks praised his performance, describing one of his saves as “world-class”.

“The first save from the head of Richarlison was world-class, but the recovery to save the second attempt from the same player was quite remarkable.

“Brentford were better than Spurs in every department and Raya was central to their 3-1 victory.”

Frank has also called Raya “very aggressive” in his goalkeeping, and if a fee can be lowered below a £40m asking price, a move could prove to be a shrewd one by Spurs and Postecoglou ahead of the new season.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKagiso Rabada took 3 for 49 on the fourth afternoon•Getty Images

0%. Zero. No chance. None at all. That, according to Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology, is the likelihood of rain in Perth on Monday. Coincidentally, it is also the chance of Australia winning the WACA Test and, thanks to that forecast, their hopes of escaping with a draw are not much higher. By stumps on day four, a South Africa victory was all but assured. It was a day of great South African entertainment, most notably fielding magic from Temba Bavuma and bowling brilliance from Kagiso Rabada.Perhaps the least surprising element of the day was the decision of Faf du Plessis to delay his declaration, allow his lower order to provide some entertainment with late lusty blows, and grind Australia down further and further. For more than nine years – until the tour of India last November – South Africa had not lost a Test series away from home. At the heart of this remarkable feat was a certain conservatism, a determination first not to lose, and only then to consider winning.So when du Plessis had his lower order bat on and on, their lead passing 400, then 450, then 500, and nearing 550, it was not a great shock. He also had to factor in the absence of his best and most experienced bowler Dale Steyn, who suffered a serious shoulder injury earlier in the match. With that in mind, you could understand why he would set Australia 539, requiring them not only to break the record for the highest successful Test chase, but to break it by more than 100 runs.By stumps, they were 4 for 169, still 370 runs adrift of their target, with only the wicketkeeper and bowlers still to come. Usman Khawaja was well set on 58, but will need to re-establish his innings on the fifth morning. Mitchell Marsh, under pressure to justify his ongoing position in a Test top six, was on 15. The ball was jagging off cracks, jumping, staying low, spinning – doing all the things that make batting most difficult. Australia’s task was monumental.South Africa have dominated the past three days at the WACA, a most impressive accomplishment given the injury to their spearhead before that ascendancy really began. But the rest have displayed true Steyn-less steel, which has only added to the gloss of their performance. In Australia’s second innings it was Rabada who stepped up, dismissing Shaun Marsh, Steven Smith and Adam Voges, to finish the day with 3 for 49. He also had Khawaja dropped at slip.But first came Bavuma’s breathtaking run-out of David Warner, the one man who, because of his recent form and his incredible record at the WACA, might have made Australia believe in a possible win had he stayed at the crease for a few hours. Warner had 35 at better than a run a ball when he pushed a Rabada delivery to cover and Bavuma, fielding at point, raced to the ball and then in one fluid action picked up, dived and threw down the stumps at the bowler’s end.Perhaps Bavuma is secretly a Rhodes scholar – a Jonty Rhodes scholar, that is – for there was more than a hint of that illustrious predecessor in this effort. Such was the surprise of the feat that Warner appeared not to be stretching to his full capacity to make his ground, perhaps believing nobody could possibly do what Bavuma did. Bavuma was even too quick for the umpire Aleem Dar, who had not had time to take an optimal side-on position.It was a key moment, though to call it match-turning would be unfair to South Africa’s outstanding work of the previous two-and-a-half days. Match-turning would have been if Warner had batted on until stumps and reached 150 at a run a ball. Bavuma’s effort, brilliant though it was, simply ensured the match was not carried off in some unforeseen direction by Warner. South Africa had been on top, and Bavuma kept them there.Then came the reward for Rabada, who, later in the same over had Shaun Marsh caught at second slip for 15. Australia had tumbled from 0 for 52 to 2 for 52 within one over, and briefly the score was 3 for 52 in the next over when Khawaja was given out caught behind off Keshav Maharaj first ball, only to be reprieved on review when the third umpire found the ball had brushed the flap of his pad rather than his bat as he played back to cut.Still, the momentum was all with South Africa, and a 92-run stand between Khawaja and Smith did little to change that. Rabada was the man who broke that partnership, his persistent fourth-stump line and ability to nibble the ball around finally accounting for Smith, who drove outside off and tickled a catch behind for 34. Adam Voges followed in similar fashion in Rabada’s next over.Rabada should also have had Khawaja caught behind on 41, a thick edge flying between the wicketkeeper and first slip. Hashim Amla moved low to his right and grassed the chance, but Quinton de Kock could have made it comfortably had he chosen to move to his left. Instead, Khawaja was given a life and went on to bring up his half-century, off precisely 100 deliveries.But then, a solitary fifty wasn’t much good to Australia. South Africa had four batsmen who passed that milestone in their second innings, and two of those went on to post hundreds. The fourth day began with South Africa on 6 for 390 and Australia knew that with quick wickets, they might give themselves the slim chance of a gettable target. As it happened, South Africa batted on to add 150 to their total for the loss of only two wickets.Vernon Philander was the last man out, bowled by Smith, who had not introduced himself into the attack until the 159th over of the innings, for 73. Keshav Maharaj had struck three sixes and provided some late entertainment with 41 not out from 34 balls. And earlier, de Kock had struck 64 before he was caught at cover off Mitchell Marsh. His partnership of 116 with Philander had been the crowning frustration for Australia.Not that they helped themselves. Philander had been put down on 29 when he top-edged a hook off Mitchell Starc and at fine leg Josh Hazlewood ran around but parried the ball over for six, seemingly worried about stepping over the boundary. With just a little more awareness of his surroundings, he could have turned it into a moderately straightforward take. But it was symptomatic of Australia’s fielding in the second innings, during which several chances went down.There were also a couple of reprieves on review for de Kock, but Australia could not complain about those. In the end, du Plessis declared soon after lunch with South Africa on 8 for 540. Australia needed 539 to win. Only once in Test history has any team scored more than 500 in the fourth innings, and even that did not result in a win, for England’s 654 for 5 in the infamous timeless Test of 1939 came in pursuit of 696.The highest successful chase in Test history was the 418 scored by West Indies against Australia in Antigua in 2003, and Austraia’s highest was 404 back in 1948. The statisticians can close their books for now, because by stumps on day four, all of those records remained very safe indeed.