The agent of Moises Caicedo has opened up on his client’s record-breaking move to Chelsea in the summer for the first time, explaining why the Ecuadorian snubbed Liverpool.
The Blues paid a reported £115m – a new British transfer record – to sign Caicedo from Brighton after months of speculation.
They faced stiff competition from Liverpool, who agreed terms with the Seagulls over a deal, only for the 21-year-old to snub the Reds to seal a move to Stamford Bridge.
Andrea Pellegatti, an agent from Epic Sports, was first asked for the exact figure paid, before explaining his client’s decision to opt for Chelsea.
“£116million, equivalent to €133million. The amount paid is no accident. It was finalised in the last few hours, but the boy only wanted Chelsea, who had started to express their interest in a consistent manner since January.”
Liverpool had agreed a deal worth £111m before Chelsea offered slightly more in an auction-style sale.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has previously described the move as the ‘craziest saga’ of the summer transfer window.
“Caicedo… was probably the craziest saga of the summer, though there were a lot to choose from. He was almost a Liverpool player for maybe 12 hours, as everything was agreed with Brighton.
“It was done, they were preparing documents and waiting for the player to travel for medical tests and complete what would have been a club-record signing for Liverpool. It was really close, but then Caicedo decided in a strong way and sent a clear message that he preferred to go to Chelsea.
“It was a big surprise because Liverpool were expecting Caicedo to join, and Jurgen Klopp even mentioned the deal being close in a press conference. So to see something like that is unusual in the transfer market and it was not easy to report on for those 48 hours.”
Caicedo has endured a tough start at Chelsea, though that’s not unusual, and is currently sidelined with an injury he picked up during the international break.
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