Chelsea hoping to seal Caicedo transfer THIS WEEK

Suraj Radia

Updated: 9 Aug 2023 21:43 BST
3 min read

Chelsea are reportedly ‘closing in’ on the signing of Moises Caicedo and are hoping to sign the Brighton midfielder before their Premier League opener against Liverpool on Sunday.

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Caicedo has been Chelsea’s priority target in midfield this summer but Mauricio Pochettino’s side have been so far reluctant to meet Brighton’s £100 million asking price.

However, talks are believed to have progressed this week and The Guardian claim that, while there is no agreement yet, the deal could progress in the coming days as both teams look to conclude the long-running saga before the season is in full swing.

REVEALED: Chelsea working on second midfield deal after Caicedo

Chelsea have seen multiple offers for Caicedo rejected, with the latest being worth around £80m, but Brighton have pointed to West Ham’s £100m sale of Declan Rice as a benchmark valuation for their talisman midfielder.

It is unclear as of yet whether Brighton will lower their asking price in order to grant their want-away star a transfer, with Caicedo said to be ‘frustrated’ in the lack of movement over a deal, having agreed personal terms over a move to Chelsea at the start of the summer.

Caicedo missed Brighton’s recent friendly against Rayo Vallecano and was unavailable for training, with the club attributing the absence to a hamstring issue, although the player is understood to have denied reports of any injury concerns.

What are Chelsea’s plans for the remainder of the transfer window?

Chelsea have spent nearly £200m this summer but the Blues have been aided by the departures of a host of fringe and high-salary players, bringing their net spend into profit.

A move for Caicedo could further be funded by the potential departure of Kepa Arrizabalaga after Bayern Munich made a move for the Chelsea goalkeeper, who has two years remaining on his contract.

SHORTLIST: The players in line to replace Kepa at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea are also In talks over a move for Leeds midfielder Tyler Adams, who is understood to have a £20m relegation release clause in his contract, while Leicester have insisted Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is not for sale after tentative interest from the Blues and Liverpool.

However, progress over Romelu Lukaku’s exit is thought to have stalled after Juventus fans protested against signing the former Inter striker, with Chelsea also unwilling to sanction a swap deal for Dusan Vlahovic.