Chelsea are progressing in their efforts to sign Moises Caicedo, but they are nowhere close to agreeing on a fee with Brighton.
According to Evening Standard, Chelsea have made positive progress in pursuing Moises Caicedo. The Ecuadorian midfielder wants the move to Stamford Bridge, but there’s still a fee to agree upon with Brighton, which remains a complicated matter.
Moises Caicedo remains one of the top-tier midfielders that clubs in the Premier League want to sign in this window. There is a reason why Chelsea are the only club currently chasing the 21-year-old Premier League star despite the widespread admiration of teams like Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool.
Caicedo expected to leave Brighton in this window after the club denied him a move to Arsenal in January. The Gunners were expected to chase the Ecuadorian, but Chelsea have taken the mantle to sign him. Mikel Arteta remains focused on Declan Rice, with negotiations with West Ham proving complicated.
The arrival of Manchester City in the race has made it all the more interesting. Arsenal will feel they are the favourites for Rice, but strange things have happened in the market before. In summary, if the Gunners or Manchester City miss out on Rice, they might quickly turn their attention towards Caicedo as the next best thing.
Hence, Chelsea will hope to find a swift resolution with Brighton over the fee. They are reportedly willing to pay £80 million for Caicedo, but the Seagulls are reportedly holding out for more than £100 million. Whether the Blues are in a position to shell out that much remains the question.
In the background, they have progressed positively in their chase of Caicedo. Recent stories indicated the 21-year-old Premier League star had verbally agreed to Chelsea’s contract offer, the details of which remain unclear at this point.
The Blues are continuing negotiations with Brighton to find a middle ground for the midfielder. They must accelerate their process to avoid the potential complication of Arsenal or Manchester City entering the chase, which could hurt their chances with Caicedo.
They also hold an interest in Romeo Lavia, but Chelsea will hope they don’t lose out on Caicedo. For now, nothing seems advanced, as the race remains wide open for the Ecuadorian.
