Chelsea has been on a spending spree this transfer window and continues to throw money at big-name targets – this time it’s for Brighton star Moises Caicedo.
According to The Athletic, Chelsea had an offer worth £55M rejected for Ecuadorian international Moises Caicedo who has had an outstanding season so far at Brighton.
It seems like Chelsea has been linked to half the world this January transfer window as they have already officially signed Andrey Santos, Benoît Badiashile, David Fofana, Joao Felix and Mykhailo Mudryk. With that said, Santos is the only midfielder that has been added this window and he looks like one for the future rather than someone who can provide an immediate impact to shoot Chelsea back up the Premier League table. It was reported by The Top Flight that Chelsea was heavily targeting Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez but a deal never was finalized. Thus, despite their active business, Chelsea still needs another midfielder.
Moises Caicedo joined Brighton in 2021 from Ecuadorian Serie A side Independiente del Valle for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the range of £4.5M. During the summer of 2021, it was reported that Manchester United was also interested in Moises Caicedo but they never decided to pursue the player further.
Caicedo spent the first half of the 21-22 season on loan at Belgian side Beerschot before being recalled from loan in January. Caicedo has really come into his own this season and has widely been regarded as one of the biggest breakout players in the Premier League. Caicedo has been a key figure in Brighton’s impressive season that sees them fighting for a European spot.
Caicedo typically plays in a deep-lying position in Brighton’s midfield beside World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister while the likes of Adam Lallana, Solly March and Pascal Groß will play in front of them as attacking midfielders.
Caicedo’s biggest strength is of course his defensive capabilities, notably, the volume of his tackles is at an elite level for a Premier League midfielder. For a defensive midfielder, Caicedo also boasts above-average passing that makes him one of the better progressive passers relative to other CDMs. While he is yet not a finished product, Caicedo could be an excellent replacement for N’Golo Kante, who may leave Stamford Bridge this summer.
The Athletic exclusive article also mentions that Chelsea’s bid offer falls way below what Brighton deems an acceptable transfer fee meaning Todd Boehly and co. will have a lot of work to do to close a deal.