Chelsea could well be running the risk of losing out on one of their biggest summer targets, with Premier League rivals Liverpool contemplating entering the £100 million Moises Caicedo race.
Liverpool are set to rival Chelsea in their pursuit of £100 million-rated Brighton & Hove Albion star Moises Caicedo. That is according to a report from talkSPORT, which says Jurgen Klopp is planning to bring in a brand new top-level defensive midfielder should Fabinho and Jordan Henderson depart for the Middle East.
It has been a busy few days as far as Liverpool are concerned, with multiple reports of Saudi bids for both Fabinho and Jordan Henderson. The focus up until this point had been on new arrivals for the Reds. However, attention has quickly turned to potential outgoings in the midfield department.
Saudi Arabian clubs are said to be circling for both players, forcing Jurgen Klopp into a complicated situation to weigh up which stars could be worth offloading for inflated fees.
The Liverpool boss has already lost three central midfielders this summer, with James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Naby Keita all leaving at the end of their contracts, whilst only bringing in Alexis MacAlister and Dominik Szoboszlai as replacements. That already leaves him light in a crucial area of the pitch.
If the experienced duo of Fabinho and Henderson also depart, that would leave only 22-year-old Curtis Jones, 20-year-old Harvey Elliott, and teenager Stefan Bajcetic as potential midfielder options, with none of them renowned to be a specialist No. 6.
That means Klopp will need another defensive-minded midfielder who, ideally, would have operated in the Premier League before. One name on their radar is Southampton’s Romeo Lavia. But that could well be a very risky strategy given that he has very little top-level experience.
Brighton’s Moises Caicedo fits the bill and offers a slightly more experienced alternative to Lavia. Chelsea are front-runners to secure the signature of the Ecuador international at this stage, however, they have not reached an agreement for the midfielder despite weeks of negotiations with the Seagulls, and having already agreed personal terms with the player.
Brighton value Caicedo at a whopping £100 million and are ready to dig their heels in to recoup such a fee after watching Arsenal pay £105 million for Declan Rice, whom they regard similarly to their prized midfielder. However, Chelsea were hoping to strike a deal for around the £75 million mark after their verbal offer of around £60 million was promptly rejected earlier this summer.
Chelsea inability to wrap up a deal for their top target has left the door open for Liverpool to enter the fray. But it will be interesting to see whether Liverpool are willing to shell out such a mammoth amount given that they backed away from Jude Bellingham negotiations due to similar funds being required to acquire his services.
For now, though, Liverpool would hope to earn at least £50 million from the sales of Fabinho and Henderson, which they will then use to fund a move for a new midfielder.
