Caicedo reveals the reason for DELAY in Chelsea transfer

Cameron Smith

• 7 Jul 2023 19:25 BST
• 3 min read

Moises Caicedo has admitted that his uncertain future will not be resolved until he receives intervention from God.

The Ecuador international has been heavily linked with a move away from Brighton & Hove Albion this summer, with Chelsea emerging as the front-runners to land him.

Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool have all previously been linked with Caicedo too, but they have turned to other alternatives already this window.

READ MORE: Premier League 2023/24 summer transfers: All the Done Deals

The Gunners have signed Kai Havertz and are expected to officially announce the acquisition of Declan Rice soon, Man Utd have added Mason Mount, while Liverpool have signed Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai and retain interest in Southampton’s Romeo Lavia.

That has cleared the path for Chelsea to strike a deal with Brighton for Caicedo. However, the Blues have been prioritising sales at the beginning of the summer.

They have added Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson, but their primary goal was to offload stars in order to trim down the size of their bloated squad.

READ MORE: Mount's dad calls Man Utd "HOME" days after Chelsea transfer

This has seen Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, N’Golo Kante, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Cesar Azpilicueta and Mateo Kovacic leave the club, along with the aforementioned Havertz and Mount. Christian Pulisic is on the verge of joining AC Milan too, while Trevoh Chalobah and Conor Gallagher both have admirers.

What has been said?

Speaking to Ecuadorian journalist Maria Jose Flores, Caicedo admitted: “I am waiting for whatever God decides because I know he knows what’s best for me.”

The midfielder was on the verge of joining Arsenal in January, but Brighton blocked an exit and the Gunners weren’t prepared to meet their asking price.

As for Chelsea, they will reportedly have to stump up a huge €117 million (£100) to complete a deal for Caicedo, according to the Telegraph, with the Seagulls demanding a massive transfer fee to sanction another departure to Chelsea.

In the past year, the Blues have lured Marc Cucurella, Graham Potter, Potter’s backroom staff, Paul Winstanley and many others from the south coast to Stamford Bridge.

However, Gonzalo Plata, one of Caicedo’s Ecuador team-mates, doesn’t believe the midfielder should leave Brighton. “I’d like him to stay [at Brighton] for another season,” he told Marca90EC. “I know he is doing very well there. If he stays another season, he will really take off. Now they are going to play in the Europa League.”

Brighton have already planned for Caicedo’s potential exit, with both James Milner and Mahmoud Dahoud arriving on free transfers this window.

As for Chelsea, their midfield options suddenly look slightly thin, although reports have suggested that Brazilian youngster Andrey Santos could be given a chance in the first-team if he impresses new boss Mauricio Pochettino. Therefore, pursuing Caicedo is seen as a priority.