Chelsea’s £70m bid for Moises Caicedo has been “rejected out of hand” by Brighton.
One source has told Sky Sports News that Brighton value Caicedo, who was signed from Ecuadorian club Independiente del Valle for £4.5m in 2021, in the same bracket as Arsenal’s record-signing Declan Rice and will look to get in the region of £100m for him.
Chelsea are considering whether to go back in with another offer with talks ongoing between the two clubs for the midfielder.
Sky Sports News has been told Chelsea will be “disciplined” and have interests in other players.
It is thought Chelsea are getting encouragement that the 21-year-old would join them if a deal can be agreed between the clubs, with personal terms not expected to be a problem.
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Chelsea’s Mauricio Pochettino and Marc Cucurella share their thoughts on the Blues’ pursuit of Brighton’s Moises Caicedo and former Seagull defender Cucurella believes his ex-teammate is very much interested in a move to Stamford Bridge.
How Moises Caicedo went from tearful teenager to in-demand starChelsea transfer news and rumoursTransfer Centre LIVE! | Papers – latest headlinesGet Sky Sports | Download the Sky Sports app
Chelsea were interested in signing the Ecuador international in January, while Arsenal had two bids rejected. Caicedo ended up signing a new deal with Brighton once the winter transfer window had closed.
Chelsea face Brighton in the USA Summer Series on July 22 in Philadelphia.
Pochettino: Chelsea working hard on signings
Speaking on Chelsea’s pre-season tour of the United States, manager Mauricio Pochettino said Chelsea were working hard on strengthening the squad ahead of the Premier League season but would not be drawn on the club’s reported pursuit of Caicedo.
“We are still working in the process of building, finishing the squad, we are working really hard,” Pochettino said.
“We have a very young squad also, but the players are showing their commitment and are working so well. We are so happy in the way they are working.
“But of course, we need to work in this pre-season to build a really strong squad first and then evolve the way we want to play.”
He continued: “I want the right profile, the right players that improve the squad. Of course, as soon as possible is better than later, but we need to work really hard on the targets we have. If they arrive today, it’s better than tomorrow, but we know as always it is difficult.”
On whether Chelsea had seen a bid for Caicedo rejected, Pochettino added: “All the team are working really hard to get what we want.
“I don’t want to talk about specific names, what is important is the players we have. Like us, many clubs are working to sign a player that can improve their team, but I will not talk about specific names because it is disrespectful to talk.”
‘Every player has his price – but Caicedo will leave on Brighton’s terms’
Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:
“As far as Brighton are concerned, the player has only recently signed a new long-term contract and isn’t for sale.
“Obviously, every player has a price, and as far as they’re concerned, they looked at the fact that Enzo Fernandez went for £106m, and Declan Rice for £105m.
“They think if those two are worth that much, then Caicedo is worth at least £100m as well. It’ll be interesting to see what Chelsea do now, whether they walk away and look at other targets, or whether they come back in with another bid.
“Brighton don’t want to lose him, but you know how well the club is run – they’ve already signed two midfielders this summer, and will have prepared for the fact he is going to leave eventually. They would let him go, but only on their terms.”
Analysis: From tearful teen to in-demand star
In the wake of his country’s World Cup exit last year, when other players were jetting off to high-end holiday resorts, Moises Caicedo was back in Santa Domingo, Ecuador, playing in a local tournament on the same dusty pitch he used as a boy.
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Sky Sports’ Nick Wright and Ron Walker take a deep dive into the story of Moises Caicedo and look at how he became of the Premier League’s most exciting young players
In footage which went viral in the country, Caicedo, a rising star in the Premier League who had just become Ecuador’s youngest scorer at a World Cup, can be seen finding the net again, only this time as a ringer for Caicedos FC, a team made up of extended family members.
His goal, slotted in at the near post in ramshackle surroundings, helped Caicedos FC win the tournament and was celebrated with a leap, a fist pump, and a gesture of recognition to the few hundred spectators sitting or leaning on fences around the pitch.
“This is Moises,” Miguel Angel Ramirez, Caicedo’s former coach at his boyhood club Independiente del Valle, tells Sky Sports with a smile. “Going back to his village, to his family, his friends, playing football, helping everyone there. He doesn’t forget his people…”
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