- The Blues Schedule Talks With Brighton For Moises Caicedo Transfer.
Chelsea are preparing to open talks with Brighton & Hove Albion over a summer move for their midfielder Moises Caicedo, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Talks are set to start between both clubs in the coming hours, with the Blues ready to go all out to land the Ecuador international as new manager Mauricio Pochettino looks to bolster his squad.
The 21-year-old was linked with a move to Arsenal in January but Brighton were not keen on selling him despite his pleas on social media, and Chelsea will need to pay top dollar as he is valued at £120 million.
The Gunners had a £70m bid rejected in January, and whether Chelsea are ready to meet the Seagulls’ demands is debatable, but they are starting to balance the books having sold some of their players.
Chelsea struggled with a bloated squad last term after signing 17 players across the two transfer windows.
They are at risk of breaking Financial Fair Play rules if they sign new players without selling off a couple of their current players.
Pochettino has his own targets, and Caicedo appears to be in his plan as the Argentine looks to hit the ground running upon his return to the Premier League.
The Brighton star was one of the best midfielders in the English top-flight last term, helping his side finish sixth with some energetic performances in the middle of the park.
Caicedo is the complete package, with his ball-holding abilities, duel-winning, ball-intercepting, passing and tackling all exceptional, and the Blues need such a player if they want to challenge for the top four and silverware next term.
However, dealing with Brighton will not be easy, and the fact that the midfielder has no release clause in his deal means the Stamford Bridge outfit must be ready to break the bank to have any chance of landing their man.
