Chelsea will need to fend off competition to sign Moises Caicedo this summer as Brighton have rejected a record bid from an unidentified club.
The Brighton midfielder has been a long-term target for Chelsea as they look to rebuild their midfield this summer.
Arsenal previously held an interest in the 21-year-old, but they were knocked back in their attempts to sign him last January.
According to The Athletic, Brighton have rejected a bid from an ‘unidentified club’ which is worth more than £80m.
The bid is said to surpass Chelsea’s latest offer for the midfielder and will have put Mauricio Pochettino on red alert.
Brighton are standing firm on their stance regarding the Ecuador international as they value him around the £100m mark.
As the midfielder is now contracted with Brighton until the summer of 2027, they are in a strong position to dictate his price tag.
Chelsea would be wise to not put all of their eggs into the same basket and they have started to broaden their search for a new holding midfielder.
Liverpool target Romeo Lavia has been discussed along with Leeds United star Tyler Adams and Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez.
Pochettino’s side remain huge admirer of Caicedo, but they have been unwilling to match Brighton’s lofty price tag up until this point.
While Chelsea are still interested in the Brighton man, Frank Leboeuf isn’t convinced that Caicedo is the right player for Chelsea at this moment in time.
Given Chelsea already have a youthful core, Leboeuf thinks that Pochettino needs to add a more experienced head in the middle.
“I love the player,” Leboeuf told ESPN. “What he showed last season was absolutely fantastic and one of the best players in his position right now.
“It’s not, for me, what Chelsea should look for. They have no experience players in the middle of the park. That is what lacking the most for me at Chelsea.
“They have young players, who are very talented players, but you can see the age. They are very, very young. You need players with experience.
“They lost Kovacic, Kante and Jorginho before the end of the season and they didn’t replace them. Caicedo is a great player, but he hasn’t got the experience that I am looking for and will be needed in the middle of the park for Chelsea.”
Time will tell how Chelsea decide to react to this news that they are not alone in the Caicedo chase.
From Brighton’s perspective, this can be seen as a positive development as they will be able to drive his price up, with more teams expressing interest.
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