Brighton chief executive Paul Barber has issued an update on the Seagulls' transfer policy after Moises Caicedo pushed for an exit. The 21-year-old was heavily linked with a move to both Arsenal and Chelsea last month but a deal collapsed despite his best efforts.
football.london understands that Caicedo was the Gunners' primary target and it's believed that Edu submitted two bids for the Ecuador international. However, both were rejected with Roberto De Zerbi's side insistent on not selling the midfielder.
It's said that Todd Boehly was also preparing a swoop for Caicedo in the event that the Blues failed in their mission to sign Enzo Fernandez from Benfica. But Chelsea eventually prioritised a move for the Argentina international.
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Desperate for an escape route from the Amex Stadium, Caicedo published a plea to leave with a statement on Instagram. As a result, the Ecuadorian was told to not attend training until the transfer saga was over.
Speaking to the Sussex Express, Barber revealed why Brighton were insistent of not letting the midfielder despite pressure to cash in. the Seagulls' chief said: "In the case of Caicedo, it may well have been right for the club that wanted him, it may well have been right for him personally but it wasn't right for our club and so the answer was no and he stayed.
"There was no amount of money during January that was going to allow us or commit us to parting company with Moises [Caicedo]. It was a critical player, we're sixth in the Premier League, we are going well, and we want to try and finish as high as we possibly can because we have an opportunity for the first time in our history to do even better than we have done previously which was finishing ninth in the Premier League."
In an interview with Marca90Ec, as quoted by Ole, Caicedo's agent, Manuel Sierra, addressed his client's failed exit. Sierra took responsibility for helping draft the youngster's statement.
"The offers were received, you see what is on the table and Moises says that he wants to go forward, that it is the dream of his whole life," he said. "That it is an opportunity that may not be repeated in life.
"And we helped draft the statement. In that statement he expresses his wish and his gratitude to the club because they gave him the chance to fulfil his dream of playing in the Premier League.
"We don’t know what can happen tomorrow, maybe he trains and gets injured. We can’t know what’s going to happen."
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