Brighton midfield duo Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo were always going to be in high demand this summer. Both have had superb seasons on the south coast and therefore have been linked with lucrative moves away especially with Seagulls boss Roberto De Zerbi's own admissions about the pair.
In his latest claim about the futures of Caicedo and Mac Allister, which came after the final day defeat to Aston Villa, De Zerbi said: "I think that can be the last game of Alexis and Moises, I'm really sorry. They are two great people and two great players."
"The policy of Brighton is like this. I think it's right they can leave, can change teams and play in a level higher. We are ready. We have to find others big players to play without Alexis and Moises."
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Part one of that expectation now looks to have been sanctioned with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reporting that Liverpool have reached a full agreement to sign Mac Allister. The Argentine signed a new contract at Amex Stadium last year but is being sold for significantly less than the widely-reported £60m fee.
As for Caicedo, Arsenal and Chelsea are each showing a keen interest and football.london understands the latter are expected to push for a move to sign him in the upcoming summer transfer window. Manuel Ugarte appeared as the early summer priority but the Blues have now left negotiations with Sporting CP for the midfielder after learning of Paris Saint-Germain's staggering wage proposal.
Attention from Stamford Bridge is now on Caicedo, but their task to sign him may have just become much harder. Understandably, Brighton do not want to lose both but are aware of the fact it is possible and so will ensure they receive the best fee.
As it has been revealed, Brighton are set to get a fee under £60million for Mac Allister which could make their stance on Caicedo much stronger. A £100million valuation from Brighton has been suggested and that will significantly dent the Blues' transfer budget.
In the January transfer window, bids of around £70million were rejected and after signing a new contract and delivering more expert performances, his price looks to have only increased. Similarly to the Ugarte talks, Chelsea must go into negotiations with a limit and stick by that in order to not be taken advantage of.
However, at 21, Caicedo could have a similar impact to Enzo Fernandez which would warrant that fee being paid. Chelsea fans are also adamant that he is absolutely the right man for the role but their task in convincing him to join, with no European football has only gotten harder. Submitting a favourable proposal to Brighton is likely the only way to sign him after Liverpool got a deal done early for Mac Allister seemingly at a discounted price.
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