Brighton’s Demands Slow Negotiations as Chelsea Eye Moisés Caicedo

Negotiations between Chelsea and Brighton over the potential transfer of Moisés Caicedo have hit a roadblock, with Brighton demanding a hefty fee of at least £100m for the talented midfielder. Caicedo has emerged as Chelsea’s primary target as they seek to strengthen Mauricio Pochettino’s midfield options. While Chelsea had hoped that an offer of around £80m would be sufficient to secure the Ecuadorian international, Brighton believes that the benchmark has been set by Declan Rice’s imminent £105m move from West Ham to Arsenal.

Brighton’s firm stance on Caicedo’s valuation has caused talks with Chelsea to progress slowly throughout the week. The Seagulls, who recently lost midfielder Alexis Mac Allister after his move to Liverpool, are intent on driving a hard bargain. They rejected bids from Arsenal and Chelsea for Caicedo in the previous transfer window, and the 21-year-old subsequently signed a contract extension until 2027, with an additional one-year option. Encouragingly for Pochettino and Chelsea, Caicedo himself desires a move to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea, having lost key midfielders such as N’Golo Kanté, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mason Mount, and Mateo Kovacic, as well as selling Jorginho to Arsenal in January, are in need of midfield reinforcements. The club is set to engage in discussions regarding a potential move for Celta Vigo’s Gabri Veiga in the coming week. Veiga, who has attracted interest from Liverpool, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Manchester City, possesses a buyout clause worth £34.4m.

Keen to avoid overpaying for Caicedo, Chelsea is cautious after previous negotiations with Brighton. The two clubs have been involved in extensive dealings over the past year, starting with Marc Cucurella’s move from Brighton to Chelsea for a fee of £62m. Chelsea then managed to lure Brighton’s head coach, Graham Potter, in September, and their co-sporting director, Paul Winstanley, also made the switch from Brighton.

Winstanley, a key figure in Chelsea’s transfer operations, is well-acquainted with Brighton’s negotiators. The objective for Chelsea will be to find a middle ground in the discussions for Caicedo. However, the club remains determined not to include Levi Colwill as part of any deal. Colwill, who spent last season on loan at Brighton, has been the subject of a £30m bid from the Seagulls. Nevertheless, Chelsea intends to offer the talented 20-year-old center-back a new long-term contract.

With a rebuild underway at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea bid farewell to another long-serving player as César Azpilicueta, who joined the club in 2012, completed a free transfer to Atlético Madrid, signing a one-year contract with the Spanish side. Additionally, negotiations are underway for the potential sale of Christian Pulisic to Milan, with the Italian club increasingly likely to secure the American winger, while Chelsea hopes that Al-Nassr will reignite their interest in Hakim Ziyech.