Arsenal pull out of race to sign £80m player after claims Liverpool could still swoop in

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Arsenal have ended their interest in Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo, after claims Liverpool might still enter the race.

Caicedo looks set to leave the Seagulls this summer having had an excellent campaign. Over recent weeks the candidates to sign him appear to have been whittled down to a small handful.

Although Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United were thought to be front-runners, there had been some recent claims that Liverpool were still keeping an eye on things, too.

Well, today The Times have scrubbed one of those names from the list. Now gunning hard to bring in Declan Rice, Arsenal are said to have ‘withdrawn their interest’ in Caicedo.

Brighton are claimed to have accepted that the Ecuadorian will leave them, but will reportedly ask for £80m to sell him. Liverpool aren’t named in this report as a likely destination, with Chelsea and United the two clubs seemingly at the front of the queue.

Caicedo getting closer to Chelsea

If we were to guess where Caicedo will end up this summer, it certainly wouldn’t be at Liverpool. The 21-year-old’s asking price is far too rich for the Reds to handle.

Nevertheless, the door won’t fully close until we see Caicedo posing in another team’s kit.

Liverpool seem to be keeping the Brighton man in mind just in case there’s an opportunity at a lower price.

As things stand, Chelsea look set to have almost a free run at Caicedo. With the Blues not exactly afraid to spend big sums of money in the market, we don’t think Liverpool’s chance will arrive.

Still, they won’t be too upset. Caicedo is a fine player, but at £80m, he isn’t worth it. The Reds have already signed his former Brighton teammate – Alexis Mac Allister – for a fraction of that.

As for Arsenal, they’ll also be happy enough if they end up getting Rice through the door.

Some Liverpool fans may look at such expensive deals and wonder why their own team can’t spend these kinds of figures in the market. But really it’s a question of spending big versus spending smart. In that respect, Liverpool have shown they can outmanoeuvre their rivals at every turn.