Mauricio Pochettino has put a huge deadline in place for Chelsea to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton. The Ecuador international is the Blues' top midfield target but are yet to make significant progress to bring him to west London with outgoings thus far being the main focus of the summer window.
Mason Mount's £60million move to Manchester United took Chelsea's funds acquired in sales to £201million with Cesar Azpiliceuta the latest to depart. The bulk of that sum was generated through Premier League moves for Kai Havertz, Mateo Kovacic and Mount.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek has signed for AC Milan and could soon be joined by Christian Pulisic, while Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly completed moves to the Middle East. The mass sales not only helped the Blues balance their financial books, but it has also lessened the demand in training for Pochettino to include everyone.
The new Chelsea manager is now switching his focus to sealing some marquee arrivals ahead of the 2023/24 season with Caicedo as the priority. Frequent talks have already been conducted with Chelsea hoping £80million will be enough, but no official proposal has been submitted from west London and when they do send an offer it may have to be significantly above their preferred asking price.
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.
Despite this possibly being a stumbling block in the deal, Pochettino wants the transfer wrapped up before Wednesday, July 19 when their pre-season tour to the USA begins as they take on Wrexham in North Carolina, according to The Secret Scout.
READ MORE: Chelsea news and transfers LIVE: Deal done, Andrey Santos decision, Dybala update, Mudryk form
Personal terms are not thought to be an issue, but Chelsea striking a deal with Brighton looks to be the biggest challenge. In the January transfer window, Chelsea forked out £106million to sign Enzo Fernandez and with Brighton also likely aware of that move, that would explain their firm stance.
However, it has been widely reported a clause was inserted into the new contract he signed earlier this year that would help him facilitate a move in the summer. Brighton rejected two bids from Arsenal for Caicedo in the winter window, but he could now seal a move away six months on if the Seagulls feel their valuation is met.
