Brighton respond to Chelsea’s new bid for Moises Caicedo

Brighton have rejected a £70m offer from Chelsea for midfielder Moises Caicedo.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Chelsea are keen to bring the 21-year-old to Stamford Bridge as part of Mauricio Pochettino’s midfield revamp.

The Blues have sold N’Golo Kante, Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek this summer.

Pochettino, who began his role as Chelsea manager at the start of the month, has identified Caicedo as an ideal partner for big-money January signing Enzo Fernandez.

Chelsea failed with a £60m bid for Caicedo last month and have now seen a £70m offer rejected by Brighton, according to The Athletic.

Brighton have already sold Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool this summer and are prepared to sell Caicedo, but only if they receive a suitable offer.

The Seagulls, who finished sixth last season, value Caicedo at around £100m as he signed a new contract in March and is rated similarly to Declan Rice, who has completed a £105m move to Arsenal.

The Gunners made a number of unsuccessful bids for Caicedo in January but Chelsea are now leading the race to secure his signature.

Asked specifically about the interest from Chelsea, Caicedo told La Cancha Con Majo: ‘It’s a big team, that’s true, a very historic team.

‘I can’t say no because it’s a very big, historic, beautiful team. And the city as well is beautiful.’

On how he deals with the speculation and noise around him, he continued: ‘It’s a very great emotion. What guy wouldn’t want them to be talking about him?

‘I know how to handle it. I don’t get carried away by emotions. I’m enjoying time with my family for now. There is pressure, but I am calm.

‘I am waiting for whatever God decides. He will know what is best for me.’

While Caicedo is keen to make the move to Stamford Bridge, he praised current club Brighton, saying: ‘They opened the door for me in the Premier League.

‘I am very happy to be there, all the moments that I have shared there I will always carry with me. The truth is this has been a dream year for me.

‘Thanks to God I have achieved many things and I am very happy to be doing what I like the most at a very high level, and that people are speaking highly of me.

‘So that’s something that’s very, very nice, something that I dreamed of and now I am living it.’

MORE : Chelsea make transfer decision on former Arsenal target Dusan Vlahovic

MORE : Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta urged to sign Chelsea target after Declan Rice

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.