Chelsea are close to losing out on their key transfer target Moises Caicedo as an unnamed club have approached Brighton and Hove Albion with an £80 million bid.
The Seagulls have held on to their Ecuadorian talent tightly in a whirlwind of transfer bids from a number of Premier League sides. Caicedo’s talents have also been noticed by a good number of European clubs who also approached the player’s entourage.
Chelsea have been a constant in the chase for the 21-year-old, who joined Brighton in 2021 but made his debut in 2022 due to a loan stint in Belgium with Beerschot. They have sent in a number of bids to Brighton which have been rebuffed because the club are not intending to entertain offers below their valuation of the player, believed to be closer to the £105 million that Arsenal paid to West Ham United for Declan Rice.
Some in the media believe that Brighton are refusing Chelsea’s advances because the club blocked their path to landing 20-year-old centreback Levi Colwill on a permanent transfer after the player impressed on loan at the AMEX Stadium last season.
Now, the Blues are on the verge of losing their transfer target as Brighton have received an £80 million bid for the midfielder. This bid is the same as Chelsea’s most recent bid for the player which was turned down immediately after seeing bids of £60 million and £70 million turned down.
The Blues may choose to give up their chase for the Ecuadorian. This is because of their signing of French midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu from Stade Rennais. The France U-20 international cost Chelsea £23.5 million but reports claim that the Blues’ bosses are thinking of loaning him out.
Chelsea are also exploring alternatives to Caicedo, and it is understood that Leeds United man Tyler Adams is on the list.
Brighton’s decision about the new deal from the unnamed club is yet to be known but it can be inferred that the Seagulls are trying to make it as hard as possible for Chelsea to sign Caicedo.
Meanwhile, the club will be worried about the knock picked up by Christopher Nkunku in their latest pre-season outing against Borussia Dortmund.
The Frenchman went down when he tried to control a pass from Nicolas Jackson. It is suspected to be a knee issue and Blues’ manager Mauricio Pochettino has provided an update on the player’s fitness. “The doctors are checking him hopefully it is not a big issue but when he fell in the action maybe it was a penalty,” Pochettino said.
“Had the chance to score. But he feels something in his knee but hopefully it is not a big issue and that he can be quick with the team. Now we need a few days to assess him and until we get back to London it is difficult to know.”
