Caicedo BREAKTHROUGH! But Chelsea face RECORD Liverpool transfer hijack
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 10 Aug 2023 12:30 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea are finally making headway in a deal that will see Moises Caicedo complete his long-awaited transfer from Brighton to Stamford Bridge – but they face late competition from Liverpool in the race to sign the midfielder.
The Blues have been following the Ecuador international midfielder since the January transfer window and have seen multiple bids knocked back by the AmEx club since then.
Brighton’s stance has frustrated both Chelsea and Caicedo, with the 21-year-old growing frustrated at his side’s insistence that the Blues reach their asking price of £100 million (€116m) – a figure they reached based on Declan Rice’s move from West Ham to Arsenal earlier this summer.
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Caicedo has skipped training in a bid to force a transfer, and it appears that the weight of pressure on Brighton, as well as some give in negotiations from the Blues, is finally starting to make an impact.
According to the Independent, there has been a “breakthrough” in negotiations that could allow the deal to be worth £100m.
It is stated that Brighton are holding out for a £90m basic fee from the Blues, with £10m to potentially follow as bonuses. Previously, Chelsea had been hoping to strike a deal for something like £80m.
The Blues might even be able to strike a deal in time to go into their squad to face Liverpool in the opening game of the Premier League season on Sunday.
But there has been a twist in the transfer saga.
Liverpool bid big for Caicedo
Liverpool have offered Brighton a greater fee for Caicedo than Chelsea, according to reports from the Daily Telegraph.
FootballTransfers exclusively reported on 14 July that Liverpool had not given up on landing Caicedo, and the Anfield club are making a late rally to keep him from the Blues.
Jurgen Klopp’s side have made sluggish progress in the transfer market but have made an unspecified club-record bid to land the South American.
Liverpool’s current transfer record is the €85m they spent signing Virgil van Dijk from Southampton, so any bid greater for Caicedo will comfortably eclipse that mark.
Caicedo, meanwhile, is still said to favour Chelsea.
