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Chelsea 'keen to seal Moises Caicedo transfer before Sunday'

Chelsea 'keen to seal Caicedo transfer before Sunday'
© Reuters
Chelsea are reportedly hopeful that they will be able to secure a deal for Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo before the end of the week.

Chelsea are reportedly ready to push for the signing of Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo before the end of the week.

The Blues' chase of the Ecuador international has descended into a drawn-out affair, with neither party seemingly being prepared to reach a compromise.

From the perspective of Brighton, they have refused to budge on their £100m valuation of the 21-year-old, maintaining the same stance that they displayed to Arsenal in January.

Head coach Roberto De Zerbi is said to have made a pact with Caicedo at that time, promising him a departure in the summer if he focused on helping Brighton achieve European football, which he did.

Nevertheless, Chelsea have been provided with no encouragement from their Seagulls counterparts thus far having opted against meeting their demands.

Chelsea co-owner and chairman Todd Boehly before the match on April 18, 2023© Reuters

Most recently, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital are said to have presented an £80m bid, a proposal which was immediately rebuffed, and talks have again reached an impasse.

However, according to The Guardian, Chelsea are increasingly confident that they will be able to secure a deal for their priority target by the end of the week.

Brighton are said to remain unmoved on their £100m demands, although Chelsea may look to agree to that valuation if add-ons can be included in the package.

Caicedo has allegedly grown frustrated with the situation, with the player having missed Brighton's final pre-season friendly and spent time away from the training ground.

Brighton & Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo in action for Ecuador on November 25, 2022© Reuters

Earlier this week, CEO Paul Barber and technical director David Weir acknowledged that Caicedo's head had been turned by the offer on the table from Chelsea.

Although De Zerbi has acknowledged in the past that he has already has a like-for-like alternative to Caicedo in mind, a sale would see Brighton lose a second key man in the engine room following Alexis Mac Allister's transfer to Liverpool.

As for Chelsea, head coach Mauricio Pochettino is eager to suitably strengthen his midfield, with the most senior options being Enzo Fernandez and Conor Gallagher.

On Thursday, it was reported that Chelsea had gone close to meeting the valuation of Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia, who has been heavily linked with Liverpool.

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Darren Plant

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Southampton's Romeo Lavia on July 26, 2023
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1Liverpool15113131131836
2Chelsea16104237191834
3Arsenal1686229151430
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest168442119228
5Manchester CityMan City168352823527
6Bournemouth167452421325
7Aston Villa167452425-125
8Fulham166642422224
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton166642625124
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1672736191723
11Brentford167273230223
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle166552321223
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