Liverpool have agreed a fee with Brighton for Moises Caicedo after gazumping Chelsea in a record deal.
Chelsea made four bids for the Ecuador international before Liverpool came in with a bigger offer, reportedly for a British transfer record of £110m, which Albion accepted.
Liverpool had been concentrating their attentions of Southampton’s Romeo Lavia, who is also a target for Chelsea, and had seen three offers for the teenager rejected.
But, after opting not to get involved in the race for Caicedo, they switched tack, opened talks with Brighton and could make the 21-year-old the most expensive player in Premier League history, if his price tops the £107m Chelsea paid for Enzo Fernandez in January.
A transfer for Caicedo would also smash Liverpool’s transfer record. New captain Virgil van Dijk cost £75m in 2018 while Darwin Nunez came for an initial £64m, which could rise to £85m including add-ons.
But Liverpool’s need for a defensive midfielder increased when Jordan Henderson and Fabinho joined Saudi Pro-League clubs Al-Ettifaq and Al-Ittihad respectively.
Caicedo is expected to travel to Merseyside for a medical and to agree personal terms while Chelsea could instead sign Lavia and Tyler Adams.
