Liverpool are still interested in a move for Moises Caicedo, but need to see a reduction on his asking price to stand a chance.
That’s according to journalist Ben Jacobs. Writing for CaughtOffside, Jacobs gave an update on where the cards currently lie after Caicedo’s recent contract extension at Brighton.
After concluding that the Ecuadorian is still very much on the market, the journalist shared Liverpool’s stance on following through on their long-term target.
“With Caicedo, keep an eye on Newcastle as well. Liverpool would need the price to drop from January to seriously consider entering the race,” said Jacobs.
“They have tracked Caicedo since his time at Independiente del Valle and now the agent situation is less complicated, they can’t be entirely discounted. Liverpool are looking at many midfielders, including Wolves’ Matheus Nunes. And their big push (in terms of desire and finances) will be for Jude Bellingham, where confidence remains despite heavy competition.
“Those familiar with Caicedo talks in January still maintain he should be worth less than the £70m guaranteed fee Real Madrid paid Monaco for Aurelien Tchouameni, but Brighton will milk the inflated market if they do choose to finally engage. Ultimately, they have all the control now at least as far as summer is concerned.”
Caicedo not worth the entrance fee for Liverpool
Caceido is clearly a player who is very much on Liverpool’s radar. As they look to upgrade their midfield this summer, the 21-year-old has been one of the players most frequently mentioned. Only yesterday, Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenburg claimed that the Reds are still in the race.
However, owing to a couple of reasons, it doesn’t seem like the Brighton man is right at the top of their list. As Jacobs points out, his price-tag might have a lot to do with that. Arsenal reportedly had a bid of around £60m turned down in January.
Having managed to tie him to a new deal, it would appear that Brighton expect any offers this summer to be in a similar range. In his column for CaughtOffside, Jacobs even mentions £70m as a possible figure.
From Liverpool’s point of view, you can see why that would be too high. With huge funds already being put aside for Jude Bellingham, they’re unlikely to spend that amount on another player.
If the player were exceptional, then that may not be the case. Liverpool are known to be willing to break the bank if they feel they have a ‘game-changer’ in their crosshairs. But as good as the ‘incredible’ Caicedo is, he isn’t a game-changer.
As a result, we don’t expect this to go all that much further for the Reds. Caicedo will surely join one of England’s top clubs this summer. But at this stage, we’d be mightily surprised if that were Liverpool.