Brighton star Moises Caicedo has revealed he wouldn't turn down a move to Chelsea if the offer ever came following Graham Potter's switch to Stamford Bridge.
The 47-year-old was appointed as the Blues' new manager last week after guiding the Seagulls into the top four with a strong start to the season. Brighton were fourth when Potter left and Caicedo has played a huge role in their immense start to the campaign, with the Ecuadorian receiving plenty of praise for his performances.
He has since been linked with a move to Manchester United and Arsenal, while Chelsea have emerged as an unsurprising target given his affiliation with Potter. Chelsea were held to a 1-1 draw against RB Salzburg in Potter's first game in charge, while the Seagulls are yet to play a game since his departure.
"It made me very sad now that he left for Chelsea, because he helped me a lot and I wanted to continue having him as a manager, but that’s football," Caicedo told Olé, via the Standard.
"You never know: today you can be here and tomorrow somewhere else, that’s the job of a footballer and a coach. At Brighton he worked very well and people love him very much. I’m very happy for him and for the great opportunity that was presented to him."
Potter's move to Stamford Bridge saw almost immediate links with Caicedo given the 20-year-old's form and ability to impress in his system. He isn't the only current Brighton player to be linked with a move to the Blues, with Leandro Trossard, Enock Mwepu and Robert Sanchez amongst the Seagulls squad to be tipped to become Potter's first signings in January.
Caicedo continued: "Right now I’m very focused on Brighton and the World Cup. I want to have a great World Cup and then we’ll see what happens.
"I think they are one of the best teams in the world and nobody would turn down an offer from Chelsea or any other club like that. It’d be a dream to be in the best teams in the world and succeed there."
Raheem Sterling gave Chelsea the lead with his fourth goal of the season on Wednesday night, before a late equaliser from Salzburg substitute Noah Okafor earned a point for the Austrian visitors.
Potter was still pleased with his new team's performance, though, as the English tactician told BT Sport: "We're disappointed with the result. I thought the boys gave everything. We scored a good goal, but lost a bit in the second half but their goalkeeper has made some good saves.
"It is what it is, we have to dust ourselves down. Personality and application was good, we will get better. We got Raheem in one-on-one situations quite often and the goal was a good result of that.
"It's always irritating when you concede a goal. Overall the defensive performance was quite good, it's just the little details we will have to improve.
"It has not been easy for the boys, they have responded to us really well over the last few days and it's a point we will have to take and get better. The attitude has been fantastic, no complaints apart from the fact we haven't taken three points. We'll get better."
