According to reports, Chelsea target Moises Caicedo will ‘ask’ Brighton and Hove Albion to ‘lower’ their £100m asking price to boost his chances of leaving.
The Ecuador international was one of the Premier League’s major breakout stars during the 2022/23 campaign as he helped Brighton finish sixth and qualify for the Europa League.
It looked like he was going to leave Brighton during the January transfer window earlier this year as Arsenal earmarked him as their main midfield target.
The Gunners had a couple of bids rejected for the midfielder before they ended up signing Jorginho from Chelsea as a cheaper alternative.
While Arsenal have been focusing on finalising their pursuit of Declan Rice, their interest in Caicedo has decreased and this has left Chelsea leading the race to sign him from Brighton.
Chelsea need to sign one or two midfielders before the summer transfer window closes as Mauricio Pochettino is short of options in that area. Caicedo is reportedly viewed as an ideal partner for record signing Enzo Fernandez.
Earlier this week, Brighton ‘immediately rejected’ a £80m bid from Chelsea for Caicedo as the Premier League outfit are holding out for around £100m.
This could soon change if Caicedo gets his way, though. The Times are reporting that the player ‘and his representatives will seek further talks with Brighton to try to persuade the club to bring their asking price down from £100 million’.
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The report adds: ‘Chelsea had a bid of £80 million for Caicedo rejected on Thursday and Brighton’s hard stance is a source of growing frustration for the 21-year-old. Chelsea have now had three bids for Caicedo knocked back. All three would have guaranteed Brighton a huge profit on a player they signed for £4.5 million in 2021.
‘It remains to be seen whether Chelsea return with an improved proposal or turn their attention to other targets. They have a long-standing interest in the Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia, as do Liverpool and Arsenal.
‘The Brighton owner, Tony Bloom, and the head coach, Roberto De Zerbi, would rather keep Caicedo as they look to match their brilliant campaign last season and prepare for a first season in Europe, after they qualified for the Europa League.
‘The club’s high valuation is based on Caicedo having four years left on the contract he signed in March while £100 million would appear to represent the market value for elite central midfielders joining top Premier League clubs.
‘Caicedo and his representatives are keen to handle the matter sensitively out of respect for Brighton and after the Ecuadorian’s public plea to be let go in January fell on deaf ears.’
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