Chelsea have seen a fresh bid for Moises Caicedo ‘immediately rejected’ by Brighton and Hove Albion, according to reports.
Mauricio Pochettino has made the Ecuador international his primary target as he looks to bolster his midfield options.
Chelsea have parted ways with Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante this summer. As a result, they have a shortage of midfielders at the moment.
Enzo Fernandez and Conor Gallagher are Pochettino’s only senior centre-mid options. Youngsters Cesare Casadei and Carney Chukwuemeka may, as a result, be required to fill in this season.
Caicedo would arguably be an upgrade on all four of those players. Last season, the 21-year-old played an instrumental role in helping Brighton secure a sixth-place finish – the best in the club’s entire history.
Caicedo made 37 appearances last term and gained a reputation as one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League.
Chelsea have been pushing to sign Caicedo for some time. As previously reported by Football365, the Blues have already seen a £70m bid rejected by Brighton this summer.
Now, Chelsea have responded with an improved offer, but unfortunately for them, it has had the same result.
That is according to reputed transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano. On Twitter, he wrote: “Chelsea have submitted a new bid for Moisés Caicedo in the last 24 hours.
“Understand Chelsea’s new proposal was £80m (€93m in Euros) — and it was immediately rejected by Brighton. Negotiations remain ongoing but no agreement at this stage.”
Personal terms have never been a problem in regards to Caicedo’s potential move to Chelsea.
The player was pushing for an exit in January, when both Chelsea and Arsenal held a concrete interest in signing him. He even went as far as putting a plea on social media, asking Roberto de Zerbi to allow him to leave.
The manager refused to sell him at the time, though, and the midfielder actually signed a new contract with the Seagulls in March.
Caicedo’s contract is valid until 2027, with an option for a further year. However, it’s thought this was agreed to inflate his price tag, rather than to indicate a long-term commitment to the club.
As a result, Brighton want ‘Declan Rice money’ for Caicedo this summer and therefore, Chelsea will have to increase their bid further to get a deal done.
With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if the Blues table an even bigger offer over the next week or so.