Chelsea in negotiations with Brighton for £100m-rated Moisés Caicedo

• Chelsea is in negotiations to sign Brighton midfielder Moisés Caicedo.
• The club is also interested in Celta Vigo midfielder Gabri Veiga.
• Chelsea is rebuilding Stamford Bridge stadium.

The current agent of Moisés Caicedo, Brighton, demands a minimum transfer fee of £100 million, and Chelsea is determined to take a tough stance in the negotiations.

As Chelsea looks to bolster their midfield under the direction of manager Mauricio Pochettino, Caicedo is their top priority. While Brighton feels that Declan Rice’s impending £105 million transfer from West Ham to Arsenal has set the bar, Chelsea believes that an offer of roughly £80 million will be adequate to win the services of the Ecuadorian international.

Rice is on the verge of breaking the record for the most expensive British player, while Chelsea themselves smashed the record in January when they paid £106.8 million for Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernández. Brighton has taken notice of these numbers, and it is believed that their demands have caused a weeklong stall in Caicedo negotiations with Chelsea.

Brighton is determined to make a tough deal after previously losing midfielder Alexis MacAllister to Liverpool. When Chelsea and Arsenal made offers for Caicedo in January, they were rejected. Since then, the 21-year-old has signed a deal that runs until 2027 with an option for an extra year. The fact that Caicedo is interested in moving to Stamford Bridge is a plus for Pochettino.

Also Read

Real Madrid will play Chelsea in quarter-finals of CL

Real Madrid will play Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the CL. Bayern...

Chelsea needs to bolster its midfield following the losses of N’Golo Kanté, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mason Mount, and Mateo Kovacic as well as the January sale of Jorginho to Arsenal. Next week, negotiations to discuss the potential of acquiring Celta Vigo midfielder Gabri Veiga are planned. In addition to Manchester City, Liverpool, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Veiga are all interested in him. Veiga has a £34.4 million buyout clause.

Chelsea is careful not to overspend for Caicedo and is wary of repeating the difficult conversations it had with Brighton in the past. Over the previous year, the two teams have conducted a number of transactions, beginning with Marc Cucurella’s £62 million transfer from Brighton to Chelsea. Graham Potter, the head coach of Brighton, was then hired by Chelsea in September, and their co-sporting director Paul Winstanley also joined from the club.

Brighton’s negotiating team is familiar with Winstanley, a significant player in Chelsea’s transfer dealings. Finding a compromise regarding Caicedo will be the goal. Chelsea is sure that Levi Colwill won’t be a part of any potential trade, though. Colwill spent the prior campaign on loan at Brighton, who had a £30 million offer turned down. The 20-year-old center-back will receive a new, long-term contract from Chelsea.

The Stamford Bridge stadium is being rebuilt, and César Azpilicueta is the newest veteran player to go. The 33-year-old defender, who signed a one-year contract with Atlético Madrid after joining Chelsea in 2012, left on a free transfer. Additionally, Chelsea and Milan are now in negotiations for the sale of American winger Christian Pulisic, with Milan growing more interested in acquiring the player. The pursuit of Hakim Ziyech by Al-Nassr should resume, according to Chelsea.

Also Read

Graham Potter says Chelsea is in good spirits amid horrific run

Graham Potter says Chelsea is in good spirits amid the horrific run....