Chelsea are in pole position to sign Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo.
They Blues are in discussions over personal terms for the 21-year-old, who could leave the Seagulls for a fee in the region of £80m.
Caicedo wants to move to Stamford Bridge. He has a gentleman’s agreement with his manager Roberto De Zerbi to be allowed to leave should a sizeable offer come in.
Brighton turned down Chelsea’s previous approach in January, after rejecting a £70m bid from Arsenal in the same transfer window.
The Gunners are not in the race for the Ecuadorian due to the significant outlay spent on their pursuit of Rice. They also want to sign Chelsea forward Kai Havertz, who could cost more than £60m.
Chelsea are willing to swap players for Caicedo but will not offer Levi Colwill. They insist the defender is not for sale and are braced for a further £40m approach from Brighton, having rejected a £30m bid a fortnight ago.
The Blues need to secure a new midfielder, with Mateo Kovacic expected to join Manchester City and N’Golo Kante close to completing a move to Saudi Arabian champions Al-Ittihad.
They have sounded out Everton’s Amadou Onana and Southampton’s Romeo Lavia as alternatives should negotiations for Caicedo fall through.
