Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi has hinted that his side may struggle to keep hold of Moises Caicedo, amid Chelsea's £55million offer for the Ecuador international on Thursday. The 21-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge following the appointment of Graham Potter.
Caicedo, whose current deal on the south coast expires in 2025, has been one of many Brighton players to receive plaudits for his performances this season. The 21-year-old has featured 20 times for the Seagulls this campaign, directly contributing to two goals.
After news of Arsenal's pursuit of Leandro Trossard emerged, it was reported that the west Londoners had an opening £55m bid rejected for Caicedo. It's understood that the Seagulls will demand more for their midfield maestro, with chief executive Paul Barber handing his verdict on Caicedo's market value earlier this season.
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"I'm not sure £42million will even include the boots now, maybe just the laces," he said. "But joking aside, every player's value is ultimately determined by the market. Graham's (Potter) comments were part in jest but part serious because Moises has been an exceptional player for us.
"Since he came to the Premier League, he has developed all the time. He's a young man with a great attitude, fantastic work ethic and a very nice human being off the pitch. So all those things contribute to the value of a footballer should it come to that moment to sell."
Now, ahead of this weekend's trip to Leicester City, De Zerbi was quizzed on the midfielder's future and the Seagulls boss left the door open for Todd Boehly to swoop in. "Moises Caicedo is very important for us. I hope he finishes the season with us, but it's always difficult to be certain when big clubs come in." he said.
"The best solution is that he finishes the season with us and for him, in the summer, it's better then if he changes teams."
Caicedo himself has already hinted that he would be open to join Chelsea, should the offer come about. Speaking to Ole prior to the World Cup, he said: "It made me very sad now that he (Potter) left for Chelsea because he helped me a lot and I wanted to continue having him as a manager, but that’s football.
"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."
Should Brighton manage to keep hold of their South American asset, securing European football for the first time in the club's history could be integral in their aspirations of keeping hold of Caicedo. It's expected, should the Blues fail this month, that they will revisit the matter in the summer as part of Boehly's overhaul of Potter's squad.
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