Sources: Brighton ‘accept’ colossal Chelsea transfer will happen, but Moises Caicedo has one concern
Chelsea-linked Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo
Brighton have accepted they’ll lose Moises Caicedo this summer, and while Chelsea are confident of securing a deal, there is one particular concern that could torpedo the move, TEAMtalk has been told.
The Blues are once again among the busiest clubs in the transfer market. A raft of high profile exits have already taken place, with many coming in midfield.
Indeed, N’Golo Kante (Al Ittihad), Mateo Kovacic (Man City), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (AC Milan) and Mason Mount (Man Utd) have all left.
That leaves just Enzo Fernandez and Conor Gallagher as Mauricio Pochettino’s established central midfielders. Unless he’s willing to bet on younger stars such as Carney Chukwuemeka and Cesare Casadei, an arrival is needed.
To that end, Brighton’s Moises Caicedo is the player Chelsea are chasing. TEAMtalk has been told the Blues have made him their No 1 priority in the market moving forward and are confident of securing a deal.
But while personal terms won’t be a problem, the size of the transfer fee could be.
The Telegraph claimed that after seeing Arsenal fork out £105m to sign Declan Rice, Brighton now believe Caicedo could – and should – fetch £100m-plus too.
TEAMtalk understands that valuation is accurate and Caicedo himself is believed to harbour concerns the elevated price tag could see a move to Stamford Bridge fall through.
From the player’s end, Caicedo is pushing for the move and the opportunity of working with Pochettino excites.
However, the finances will dictate whether a move can be made and despite Chelsea’s confidence, it remains unclear whether they’ll commit to a nine-figure fee.
Speaking exclusively to TEAMtalk, transfer insider Graeme Bailey said: “I am told that Caicedo is very much Chelsea’s number one target as it stands as they look to bolster their midfield having seen the likes of Kante, Kovacic, Loftus-Cheek and Mount all depart.
“It is my understanding that Caicedo is pushing for the move to Chelsea, the chance to work with Mauricio Pochettino is clearly something that appeals to him.
“Caicedo signed his new deal in March, but Brighton have accepted that he can leave this summer.
“Caicedo’s only real concern is the price-tag, but he knows they are within their rights to ask for what they want and the fact is they see him in the Declan Rice range of £100m.
“It remains to be seen if Chelsea or anyone else will go that high.”
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