Chelsea are still pushing to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton in the summer transfer window despite no significant updates in their pursuit coming to light. Mauricio Pochettino wants the Blues to sign the midfielder and do so before he takes the squad over to the USA on a pre-season tour which kicks off on July 19.
The widely reported plans for Chelsea in the current trading period were that outgoings began as the primary focus. A significant batch of those were sealed with Kai Havertz and Mateo Kovacic as the marquee sales, before a transfer saga involving Mason Mount took the spot light.
Three bids were lodged for Mount from Manchester United, but all were rejected by those at Stamford Bridge until an in-person meeting saw a compromise met at a transfer package worth up to £60million. With that move finalised and confirmed last week, bringing Caicedo to the club has been the main focus for the last week, but no progress looks to have been made.
However, that is not quite the case according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano who has explained why this transfer is different to most. "The only thing I can say is that there are negotiations," he revealed on the Mark Goldbridge That's Football YouTube channel. "Chelsea and Brighton are in contact and they will be in contact again this week to discuss Moises Caicedo.
"As I've explained this is a different kind of negotiation, there is not a daily official bid and then official answer. They are in direct contact and this is a different kind of communication. It seems really quiet but it is not quiet at all. They are discussing and so this week there will be new conversations for Caicedo.
"Then it really depends on Brighton, because obviously the player wants to go and Chelsea are ready to welcome him as soon as possible, but they are waiting for Brighton to give the green light at the right conditions."
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Payment terms could prove crucial in getting the transfer over the line, with Chelsea still believing £80million can get the deal done while Brighton want closer to £100million after seeing Arsenal spend £105million to sign Declan Rice.
Getting the move finalised nearer Chelsea's price will likely see the structure of the package and add-ons included sway in Brighton's favour. However, the Seagulls seeing their triple-figure demand met is expected to mean that Chelsea will see the terms of the transfer in their favour leaving Pochettino with a crucial price decision he must make.