Caicedo offered new Brighton deal amid Chelsea and Man Utd interest
FT Desk
- 11 Sept 2022 11:31 BST
- 3 min read
Moises Caicedo - previously valued at £100 million by Brighton - is to be offered a new contract at Falmer Stadium to ward off interest from Manchester United and Chelsea.
The Ecuadorian midfielder joined Brighton for just €5m in February 2021 after a move to United had fallen through over concerns over payments to agents and his former club, Independiente del Valle.
Instead, the Seagulls swooped, and Caicedo has gone on to play 16 games for his current employers, contributing two goals and two assists from central midfield, helping them to a ninth-place finish in the Premier League last season.
Moises Caicedo is sooooo good. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/RoktkRpk0b
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) May 1, 2022
"[Brighton] will now look to reward the progress he has made this year with a package that will bring his wages closer in line with other first-team regulars," reports the Daily Mail. "Caicedo still has almost three years to run on his contract but Brighton want to protect his value."
Potter now at Chelsea…
While United have since bolstered their midfield with the €80m arrival of Casemiro from Real Madrid, Brighton will be particularly fearful of Chelsea's interest, especially now Graham Potter - who handed him his Premier League debut - has replaced Thomas Tuchel as the Blues' manager.
Jorginho and N'Golo Kante are both now the wrong side of 30 with the latter increasingly injured. Chelsea signed Denis Zakaria on loan from Juventus to bolster central midfield, but at 20, Caicedo could be a longer-term solution - and Potter is clearly a fan.
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"In football you never know, but we're quite calm and confident," he said at the end of the window, days before his move to Chelsea. You'd probably get his boots for that [£42m bid] from the chairman, maybe!"
"They can try. It doesn't surprise me that people are looking at him because he's playing at a fantastic level. As soon as you do research on him you realise he's a top kid, great person, young, playing in the Premier League, has all the attributes to play at the very, very highest level."
