Brighton & Hove Albion are poised to ask for more than £100 million for Moises Caicedo after a benchmark was set this summer with Declan Rice’s impending move to Arsenal.
Caicedo is a target for Chelsea as they rebuild under Mauricio Pochettino but they are unlikely to land him cheaply, with Caicedo seen at the Amex Stadium as comparable to Rice – and three years younger at 21.
Rice, who plays in a similar defensive-midfielder position, is finalizing a £105 million move to Arsenal, with only £5 million coming in add-ons.
It could mean two nine-figure deals in the Premier League should Caicedo move to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea broke the British transfer record to land Enzo Fernández in the January window in a £106 million deal from Benfica. With N’Golo Kanté, Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek leaving, they have Caicedo in their sights to partner Fernandez in another high-profile move.
Brighton rejected two bids from Arsenal for Caicedo in the January window, the second worth around £70 million. Caicedo has since signed a new contract, until 2027 with a one-year option, and a similar bid is expected to be rejected again this time around for the Ecuador international.
Chelsea moved for Marc Cucurella last summer in a £56 million deal from Brighton and have Paul Winstanley, who used to work at the club, as their director of global talent and transfers, which will raise hopes of a deal being struck. The clubs also worked together on the deal for Graham Potter, who signed Caicedo when he was at Brighton.
Caicedo will earn a huge profit for Brighton after his arrival in 2021 from Independiente del Valle in his homeland for around £4 million.
Brighton have already sold Alexis McAllister, the World Cup winner with Argentina, to Liverpool this summer. Manager Roberto De Zerbi has admitted Caicedo could also be a departure this summer.
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