Liverpool have tried as hard as they can to convince Moises Caicedo to change his mind about choosing Chelsea over them.
After an intense 48 hours, it now looks likely that Chelsea have won the race to sign the Brighton midfielder. Caicedo had always reportedly been set on a move to Stamford Bridge, despite Liverpool being first to agree a deal for him with the Seagulls.
And now, according to journalist Ben Jacobs on Twitter, the Reds have given everything they possibly could to get him to Anfield.
“Chelsea pushing tonight to complete Moises Caicedo deal for a British record fee of around £115m,” Jacobs reports. “Not quite done but close.
“LFC have done their best to change Caicedo’s mind but CFC his preference, and he’s been texting several Chelsea players telling them he’s joining.”
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Liverpool fail to convince Caicedo
On the one hand, Liverpool should be commended for their efforts to make a potentially transformative signing this summer.
Caicedo is the kind of player many fans were screaming out for them to sign. FSG were willing to go big on the Ecuadorian and that should carry some water.
But at the same time, why did they leave it so late to enter the fray? Had they begun conversations with Caicedo at the same time as Chelsea, perhaps they could have convinced him that their project is a better one.
Instead, we’re now on the eve of the Reds first game of the season and they still find themselves desperately short.
Nevertheless, it will be truly, truly fascinating to see what Liverpool do if Caicedo does go to Chelsea. They’re going to have to do something and have now shown their hand.
There are one or two players out there who could potentially fit the bill. But with just over two weeks until the window closes, they’re going to have to get a move on.
Ultimately, how fans view this saga will come down to what Liverpool do next. Get it right, all will be forgiven. Get it wrong, and there’ll be a few hard questions to be answered.