MX23RW : Saturday, November 23 23:12:13| >> :60:2445:2445:

Marc Cucurella encourages Moises Caicedo to join Chelsea

Marc Cucurella encourages Caicedo to join Chelsea
© Reuters
Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella urges his former Brighton & Hove Albion teammate Moises Caicedo to join the West London club.

Marc Cucurella has encouraged his former Brighton & Hove Albion teammate Moises Caicedo to join Chelsea.

The Blues have already signed Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson, Angelo and Diego Moreira during the current transfer window, but they are still hoping to make further additions.

They are particularly keen to strengthen in midfield following the departures of N'Golo Kante, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic.

After identifying Caicedo as a key target, Chelsea stepped up their pursuit by tabling a £70m bid, which was subsequently rejected by Brighton.

The Seagulls believe that Caicedo is of similar value to Arsenal's record-signing Declan Rice, and as a result, they are hoping to receive a £100m fee for the Ecuador international.

Marc Cucurella in action for Chelsea on August 6, 2022© Reuters

While it remains to be seen if Chelsea return with another offer, Cucurella is keen for Caicedo to make the move to Stamford Bridge.

Speaking ahead of Wednesday's friendly against Wrexham in North Carolina, the Spaniard told reporters: "I've read in the media that he wants to come here a lot of times!

"I have a good relationship with him. He is a top player and if he came here I think we would have a top midfielder for a long time."

Cucurella's own future has been the centre of speculation after experiencing a difficult first season with the West London club.

With Cucurella currently competing with Ben Chilwell, Lewis Hall and Ian Maatsen for a place in the starting lineup, there has been a suggestion that he could be offloaded this summer.

Aston Villa's Emiliano Buendia in action with Chelsea's Marc Cucurella on April 1, 2023© Reuters

When questioned about his future, Cucurella said: "Yes, for sure I want to stay at Chelsea. I am very happy here. It wasn't an easy season and it was difficult for all the players, we needed time to adapt.

"You arrive at a big club, you need time to adapt, the results don't arrive, you feel more pressure and, of course, we are footballer players, but we are normal people as well.

"We have problems in our personal lives and people need to understand this as well. This is part of life and these things can improve in the future. I am very happy, I have a lot of energy, and I am happy to stay here and do my best for this team and club."

After playing Wrexham on Wednesday, Chelsea will continue their pre-season tour of the USA with the Premier League Summer Series, where they will face Brighton & Hove Albion, Newcastle United and Fulham.

ID:518924:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect5043:

Moises Caicedo future - Click here for more stories

Click here for more stories about Marc Cucurella

Click here for more stories about Chelsea

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Brighton & Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo in action on December 26, 2022
Read Next:
Chelsea 'ready to make improved bid for Caicedo'
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Crystal Palace121561017-78
19Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
20Southampton11119721-144


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!