Romeo Lavia has stood by his decision to reject Liverpool last summer, despite one of his former teammates claiming he made a mistake by choosing Chelsea over the Reds.
The Belgian midfielder moved to Stamford Bridge in a £58m transfer from Southampton in August.
His move followed Chelsea’s record signing of Moises Caicedo from Brighton & Hove Albion in a deal worth up to £115m.
Meanwhile, Liverpool had made three unsuccessful bids for Lavia, ultimately deeming Southampton’s asking price too high.
The Reds shifted their focus to Caicedo, even agreeing on a £111m deal with Brighton after the player had initially shown interest in joining them.
However, Caicedo later expressed his desire to sign only for Chelsea.
Liverpool then renewed their efforts to secure Lavia, with a £60m offer accepted by Southampton.
Yet, the young Belgian followed Caicedo’s lead and opted for a move to Chelsea instead.
Unfortunately, injuries hampered Lavia’s debut season at Stamford Bridge, limiting the 20-year-old to just one appearance.
Now fit again, he is eager to make an impact in the upcoming season.
Although Lavia’s decision to turn down Liverpool sparked criticism at the time, the midfielder has since defended his choice, stating that once Chelsea expressed their interest, he was set on joining them.
Notably, Chelsea had previously attempted to sign Lavia the previous summer but were unsuccessful.
“You’ve never had my version,” Lavia told the Athletic.
“It’s all about what you read in the media.
“I had to read a couple as well and sometimes you knew more than me apparently!
“Listen, when I heard about Chelsea and it was from a long time ago before everything started, it was a no-brainer.
“Some stuff I was reading, I’m not going to say it was fake but my decision was Chelsea.
“The interest from Liverpool was there but, in my head, I wanted to play for Chelsea.”
He continued: “If you look at the teams, Chelsea is the one that is growing.
“Even though the results are not going like the other teams, you can see the bigger picture.
“When I saw a group of young and talented players that at their previous clubs had been the best players, it can only go well.
“Now I’m here, I realise it’s true.
“We are building something amazing. Everyone at the club can feel it, not just the players.
“Manchester City and all the teams that have been successful, they needed years to do that.
“I’m not saying we need the same years but it is not going to take two weeks.
“The confidence is there and then it’s about not looking at the other teams, but focusing on ourselves.”
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