Brighton no longer believe that any club will be willing to match their asking price and buy Moises Caicedo.
Caicedo has long looked like being a player on the move this summer. Liverpool have been heavily involved in any discussions around the 21-year-old leaving, but it’s been Chelsea who have been more active in the chase so far.
Having seen two bids turned down for Caicedo already, it looks likely that the Blues will come back in with a third. However, according to a Sky Sports News reporter yesterday evening, Brighton don’t think any offer will hit their £100m valuation.
“Brighton say they’re not expecting any club to match their valuation of Moises Caicedo this transfer window,” says the reporter. “The valuation of the midfielder is £100m, or upwards. Yesterday [Wednesday] it emerged that an unnamed club approached Brighton about a deal for Caceido. It’s understood that Brighton have been impressed with his attitude while speculation over his future intensifies.
“Chelsea’s latest bid of £80m fell well short of what Brighton were asking for and it was rejected immediately by the club. However, one source says they expect Chelsea to go back in with an improved bid.”
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Brighton confident of keeping Caicedo
By this stage of the summer, we really hadn’t expected that Caicedo would still be on the market. As one of the most talented young midfielders in the Premier League, he must have been on a lot of top sides’ shortlists heading into the window.
Liverpool were almost certainly among those casting admiring glances at Caicedo. The Reds have reportedly been tracking the Ecuadorian for years.
He’s a potentially top player, described as ‘incredible’ by teammate Adam Webster as far back as 2022 [Sussex Live]. Caicedo would surely fit the profile of the kind of player we’re looking for right now.
However, there’s one area that Caicedo absolutely does not fit the profile. And it’s the exact reason Chelsea still haven’t got their hands on him either: his price.
In a window where Declan Rice has moved for over £100m, Brighton might feel a similar valuation of their star man is fair. But there were two willing bidders for Rice. The Premier League’s top two from last season both saw him as being worth there or thereabouts of nine figures.
For Caicedo, it really does appear that Chelsea are now the only club willing to go anywhere near that price. Even then, they don’t look like matching what Brighton want.
So, perhaps the Ecuador international isn’t quite as good as the Seagulls think he is. Either way, it looks like he may well stay at the Amex next season. If he does, there’s a chance he cements the £100m price-tag. But there’s an equally good chance that he absolutely does not.