Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo has broken his silence on the rumours linking him with a big-money move to Chelsea....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
The 21-year-old was tremendous for the Seagulls last term and helped them achieve a sixth-place finish — the best in the club’s history.
Mauricio Pochettino has made Caicedo his number-one transfer target as he looks to bolster his Chelsea squad ahead of next season.
The Blues have lost the likes of Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante this summer. So clearly, they need to bring in a central midfielder.
Last season, Caicedo made 37 Premier League appearances for Brighton. His best attribute is protecting his team’s defence, making an average of 2.7 tackles per game, as well as 1.5 interceptions.
A versatile player, the Ecuador international can also play as a left-back. With Marc Cucurella linked with an exit from Chelsea, Caicedo could be useful in that position next season.
However, with the impending sale of Declan Rice inflating the prices of top defensive midfielders this summer, the Blues will have to put their money where their mouth is to get a deal done.
Caicedo: ‘Chelsea is a very big, beautiful team’
As previously revealed by TEAMtalk, Brighton have already ‘accepted’ that Caicedo will leave this summer.
Personal terms were never expected to be a problem between the Ecuadorian and Chelsea. And, Caicedo has now given his thoughts on the highly-anticipated move.
“[Chelsea is] a big team, that’s true,” Caicedo told Ecuadorian TV channel ‘The Court with Majo’.
“It’s A very historic team and I can’t say no because it’s a very big, historic, beautiful team. The city as well is beautiful.”
With Caicedo clearly open to joining Chelsea, the only thing left to negotiate is a transfer fee. But, that will be far from simple.
Brighton believe Caicedo should have a similar price tag to Rice. So, they are reportedly holding out for a fee between £90m and £100m for the midfielder.
Chelsea have expressed a willingness to spend £75m on him which clearly leaves a gap in the two club’s valuations, which is believed to be a ‘concern’ for Caicedo.
With that in mind, Chelsea still need to increase their offer if they want to sign the midfielder this summer.
Whether or not they match Brighton’s price tag, remains to be seen. What’s clear, though, is that Caicedo would be more than happy to sign for the Blues…READFULL
