Chelsea FINALLY make Brighton transfer breakthrough
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 3 Aug 2023 07:55 CDT
- 3 min read
Chelsea have reached an agreement to sign goalkeeper Robert Sanchez from Brighton, David Ornstein reports.
The Athletic states that the 25-year-old is expected to undergo his medical at Stamford Bridge imminently.
Sanchez will go into competition with Kepa Arrizabalaga for the No.1 spot after losing his role at Brighton to Jason Steele.
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He had not been involved with the Seagulls during their tour of the US as doubts hung over his future at the club.
Ornstein has reported that Chelsea are going to pay Brighton €29 million (£25m) for the Spain star, who has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €24 million (£21m), and who they reportedly made an offer for on 31 July.
The Sanchez deal does show that the two clubs can still work in harmony, despite their ongoing issues with Moises Caicedo.
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Caicedo issue still needs resolved
Much of the summer has been dominated by a dispute between the Premier League outfits over a transfer fee for Ecuador midfielder Caicedo. After multiple offers from Chelsea, they appear to be no closer to signing the 21-year-old.
The Blues appear to be broadening their search for an alternative to the South American, with reports suggesting that they are ready to go back in for Ajax's Edson Alvarez, who they only narrowly missed out on a year ago. Furthermore, they have also added Lesley Ugochukwu from Stade Rennais.
Despite the apparent animosity over the Caicedo deal, Chelsea and Brighton have worked closely over the course of the last year, with Marc Cucurella and manager Graham Potter both leaving the AmEx Stadium for Stamford Bridge, albeit the latter was fired by the Blues before the end of the previous campaign.
In addition, several member of Potter's backroom staff - including Seagulls legend Bruno Saltor also joined Chelsea. Paul Winstanley, formerly of Brighton, is now Chelsea's Head of Recruitment too.
Going the other way, meanwhile, was Chelsea academy midfielder Billy Gilmour on a permanent deal and Levi Colwill on loan.
Sanchez simply looks likely to be the next player to bridge the gap between the two clubs.
