Big-hitting Premier League clubs have been told a £65million bid could land Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo.
Chelsea, Liverpool and Newcastle are the frontrunners for the Ecuador star, who featured at the World Cup. Interested parties were initially quoted £85m, but the word now is that Brighton would be tempted by a £60m-plus offer with add-ons.
Caicedo, 21, joined the Seagulls for £4m from Independiente del Valle in his native country in February 2021. Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth – formerly Brighton technical director – was instrumental in the deal.
Chelsea boss Graham Potter was head coach at the Amex Stadium then, while former Brighton head of recruitment Paul Winstanley became Chelsea’s transfer guru in November. But sources say Liverpool are as well-placed as their rivals to pull off a deal if Caicedo moves this month.
The Reds' desire to sign a midfielder is well-documented and Borussia Dortmund wonderkid Jude Bellingham remains their priority target. However, Caicedo is a more affordable option and this latest update will be well-received by Anfield chiefs.
Speaking at the end of December, Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi stressed just how keen he is to keep hold of Caicedo, as well Argentine World Cup-winner Alexis Mac Allister. "I would like to keep all our players here, and I would like to add some too," De Zerbi said. "My hope is that Caicedo and Mac Allister will stay with us. But at the moment I only think about Arsenal. It will be very difficult."
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, meanwhile, has insisted that his side's glaring underperformance and defensive frailties this season are not due to their failure to sign a midfielder last summer. "It's a general problem, not a midfield problem," the German said.
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"Defending starts up front, if you don't defend there, then the midfield has no chance. Balance might be a problem. Not so much in the last game [against Brentford] as the goals we conceded were two from set-pieces and one from a counter-attack, there weren't balls being played through the midfield. Before that, it's all about organisation.
"It's not so much that one midfield player could sort that, it's about us doing it collectively in the right manner. The way we want to defend is clear. I can't analyse the game differently when we lose or win. If it's right, it's right. If it's not right, it's not right. That will never change.
"Am I completely happy with the play? No, definitely not. But it's not a midfield problem, it's a general thing. You don't start pressing here (points to his head), you start pressing here (points to the heart)."
