Brighton are likely to accept an offer from Chelsea for Moises Caicedo if it exceeds Liverpool’s current bid.
As things stand, the Reds are the only one of the two sides to have had an offer accepted by Brighton. But as journalist Fabrizio Romano has tweeted this afternoon, Caicedo has now told Liverpool he’ll only join Chelsea.
While it remains to be seen how the Reds respond to this, it’s clear that the Blues have been given huge encouragement. That’s something The Independent confirm, with Chelsea said to ‘remain confident’ of landing Caicedo.
They’ve reportedly expressed a willingness to beat Liverpool’s current, £110m bid and are firm in their stance that the Ecuadorian is their top target.
Having set a midnight deadline yesterday, the ‘big question’ is said to be whether Brighton are willing to re-open negotiations. However, unfortunately for Liverpool, it’s claimed that ‘the likelihood is that money talks.’ Not what we wanted to hear.
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Brighton ready to accept Chelsea offer
Although this isn’t a firm claim as to how Brighton are currently feeling about this whole scenario, you suspect their hands are tied a little.
Had it been purely a question of money, then we’re not sure we agree with The Independent. The Seagulls have been messed around no end by Chelsea this summer and would probably be happy to get one over one them.
But if Caicedo himself isn’t willing to go to anyone but the Blues, then what can they do?
With a willing buyer and a player who wants to leave, there isn’t much to think about.
That will obviously be a blow to Liverpool. However, their last-minute bid for Caicedo was purely opportunistic. The 21-year-old has been a long-term target but was thought to be unobtainable.
The Reds will have a plan over what to do next if Brighton relent and accept what Chelsea are offering. It’s likely that that plan will involve Romeo Lavia, who reportedly does still want to join Liverpool.
For the time being though, this is all just conjecture. Let’s wait and see what the next developments are.