Chelsea could need all the funds possible to afford the signing of Moises Caicedo from Brighton in the summer transfer window. The Blues have already raised over £200million from sales with the departures of Mason Mount, Kai Havertz and Mateo Kovacic raising the bulk of the funds.
The latter saw his £30million move to Manchester City confirmed first with Havertz then sealing a £65million transfer to Arsenal before Manchester United confirmed the £60million signing of Mount on Wednesday.
Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy also left the club to join N'Golo Kante in Saudi Arabia with a further £33million coming the way of Chelsea.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek has also completed an £18million move to AC Milan, with Christian Pulisic's transfer to the Serie A giants at the final stages. More outgoings are also expected to follow with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Callum Hudson-Odoi unlikely to have any first-team future at Stamford Bridge.
Hakim Ziyech was on the brink of joining Koulibaly, Mendy and Kante in the Middle East but some issues flagged up in his medical to sign for Al-Nassr saw that move collapse. However, the 30-year-old could still join his former teammates in Saudi Arabia with Daily Telegraph journalist Matt Law reporting there is some hope Ziyech can still seal a move away to that destination.
The planned transfer of Ziyech was said to be worth £8million and the Blues could now see that windfall coming their way again. Those funds may seem like they won't matter too much to Chelsea, but Brighton's fresh demand on Caicedo could see the Blues find that money gained very valuable.
READ MORE: Chelsea news and transfers LIVE: Deal done, Andrey Santos decision, Dybala update, Mudryk form
According to the Telegraph, Brighton are poised to ask for up to £100million to sanction an exit for Caicedo. Their report states the Seagulls are using Declan Rice's imminent £105million move to Arsenal as a benchmark to demand the upmost funds for their own star midfielder.
With many outgoings sealed, new Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino wants the deal for Caicedo to be wrapped up swiftly. A transfer deadline has also been set with the Argentine wanting the move completed before he takes his squad on a pre-season tour to USA with their first fixture against Wrexham set for Wednesday, July 19.
The Seagulls' new asking price, which could be as high as £100million, may become a huge stumbling block for Chelsea after the west Londoners held the belief that £80million could be enough to get a deal done. Despite raising nearly double what Brighton's new demand for Caicedo is, further funds being generated from sales, like Ziyech, could prove to be invaluable.
