Arsenal are considering an improved bid for Moises Caicedo as they try to sign a midfielder before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.
The Gunners had a second offer worth £70million for Caicedo rejected by Brighton, who continue to insist that the Ecuador international is not for sale.
But Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi said yesterday that his team was “ready to go forward” without Caicedo and as of Monday morning Arsenal had not walked away from talks.
A fresh offer for Caicedo would likely exceed the club-record £72m they paid to sign winger Nicolas Pepe in 2019.
Arsenal want to sign a new midfielder this month to bolster their title charge. Mikel Arteta’s side are five points clear at the top of the Premier League and have a game in hand on Manchester City in second.
They are short on options in midfield as Mohamed Elneny is currently out with a knee injury. Thomas Partey also suffered an injury scare in Friday’s 1-0 FA Cup defeat at Manchester City when he came off at half-time.
Brighton have been adamant since Arsenal made an opening bid of £60m on Friday that Caicedo is not for sale, but De Zerbi gave some hope on Sunday that their stance could soften.
“I would like that he can finish the season with us, but we are ready to go forward without him,” he said after Brighton beat Liverpool 2-1 in the FA Cup. “We are a good team but we can also improve from the transfer market.”
A bid closer to £80m could test Brighton’s resolve after Caicedo posted on social media on Friday that he wanted to leave the Amex.
“The fans have taken me into their hearts and they will always be in my heart so I hope they can understand why I want to take this magnificent opportunity,” the 21-year-old wrote.
For any chance of Arsenal sealing a deal for Caicedo, it is thought Brighton would have to have a replacement lined up first. Arsenal and Brighton have a good working relationship after completing a number of big deals recently.
The Seagulls sold Leandro Trossard to Arsenal for £26m earlier this month, while Ben White moved to Emirates Stadium for £50m in 2021. Brighton are notoriously tough negotiators, though, and are under no financial pressure to sell this month as they target a European push in the second half of the season.
Arsenal have also shown in the past that they will not pay what they deem to be over the odds for a player. Chelsea priced them out of a deal for winger Mykhailo Mudryk earlier this month and last summer they were trumped by Manchester United for Lisandro Martinez.
Arsenal could be forced to look at other midfield targets before the deadline if a deal for Caicedo shows no signs of being completed. Midfield is a key area for Arsenal in the transfer market this year and they want to sign West Ham captain Declan Rice this summer. A move for Caicedo now would not impact plans for Rice, and Arteta wants to build a new-look midfield around both players.
