Chelsea eye World Cup winner as Caicedo alternative
Tom Weber
- Updated: 4 Aug 2023 09:39 BST
- 4 min read
Mauricio Pochettino could be reunited with former player Leandro Paredes as Chelsea weigh up moving for Moises Caicedo alternatives.
The Blues have thus far seen every one of their offers for the Brighton man rejected as the Seagulls are refusing to budge from their £100m valuation. Chelsea, however, are reluctant to pay that much for the 21-year-old, though some reports claim that sources close to the talks believe that they will eventually cough up the money.
Other reports suggest, however, that Brighton are confident that Caicedo will still be their player come the end of the transfer window. Either way, the situation appears to have reached something of an impasse and Chelsea have been looking at potential alternatives.
READ: Chelsea lead race to sign €82m star – Fabrizio Romano
Though Lesley Ugochukwu has already been signed, the defensive midfielder is one for the future and may head out on loan to sister club Strasbourg. Mauricio Pochettino wants experience at the base of his midfield and someone who can slot right into the side.
This has seen the Blues linked with Leeds midfielder Tyler Adams who has an enticing relegation release clause in his contract, but they are also looking at a PSG man.
Chelsea eye Paredes
That is at least according to the Evening Standard, which reports that Chelsea are interested in Leandro Paredes after growing frustrated over the Moises Caicedo saga.
The Argentine played under Pochettino in Paris and would certainly be attainable. The 29-year-old was recently spotted posing with Kylian Mbappe and the rest of PSG's outcasts during training in France while the first team is away touring Asia.
READ: Luis Enrique OUT at PSG? Romano reveals truth as Mbappe chaos continues
The 2022 World Cup winner joined the French giants in January 2019 for a whopping €40m but has seen his stocks diminish dramatically in recent times, currently sitting at an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of just €9.1m after a loan spell with Juventus that saw him play fewer than 1000 Serie A minutes.
