Chelsea will continue talks over Moises Caicedo after having an improved offer for the midfielder rejected by Brighton.
The latest bid from Chelsea is worth a fixed £70million with no add-ons but has been turned down as Brighton hold out for around £100m for the Ecuador international.
Chelsea, who had a £60m offer rejected last month, will now consider a fresh approach for Caicedo after making him their next transfer priority.
The Blues need to strengthen their midfield after losing N'Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount this summer, having also sold Jorginho to Arsenal in January.
Chelsea are adamant they will not pay over the odds for Caicedo but have been encouraged after the 21-year-year made it clear he wants to move to Stamford Bridge. The club hopes to find a compromise closer to £80m, but negotiating a deal with Brighton will not be easy.
“It's a big team, that's true,” Caicedo said in an interview in Ecuador last week. “A very historic team and I can't say no because it is a very big, historic, beautiful team. The city as well is beautiful.”
Caicedo has established himself as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League at Brighton, who feel the benchmark for his price tag has been set by Declan Rice's £105m move to Arsenal.
Brighton owner Tony Bloom is emboldened by West Ham's valuation of Rice and Chelsea paying £106.8m to sign Enzo Fernandez from Benfica in January.
