As Chelsea continues to become heavily involved in the summer transfer window, they are putting intense pressure on getting Ecuadorian midfielder Moises Caicedo from Brighton to Stamford Bridge.

The 21-year-old was heavily linked with a move to Arsenal in the January transfer window, but the move did not materialize as he stayed back with the Seagulls and signed a contract extension while also securing Europa League football for next season.

The transfer rumors have not gone away at the end of the season either as Arsenal continue to pursue, but not in isolation, as Chelsea has now turned their attention to Caicedo due to the potential exit of some of the midfielders.

There is already a 30 million pounds agreement between Manchester City and Chelsea to see Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic move to Etihad Stadium. English midfielder Mason Mount has also been linked with an exit with a move to Manchester United in the works, while Christian Pulisic could be moving too.

Already another £65m deal has been agreed to see German forward Kai Havertz leave for Arsenal as Chelsea continues to prune its team down and bring in fresh legs ahead of the new season.

For Caceido, Chelsea is ready to pay in excess of £80M to secure Caicedo, who seems to be dropping off the radar of Arsenal to focus on Southampton’s Romeo Lavia and West Ham United’s Declan Rice. The Gunners are closer to the former, while Manchester City is close to hijacking the latter.

Caicedo, who played 43 matches in all competitions for the Seagulls last season, scoring one goal and a single assist, has been reported to have agreed personal terms with Chelsea. He joined Brighton in 2021 and has been capped 31 times by his country.

Chelsea has been able to confirm Christopher Nkunku as one of their many expected signings this summer as they seek to redeem their image after a poor 2022/2023 season. 

Daniel Ademiju Idowu