Chelsea will come forward with a new 'verbal proposal' to try and land Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
Has Moises Caicedo signed for Chelsea?
According to BBC Sport, Brighton have rejected a second bid from Chelsea for Caicedo which is believed to have been in the region of £70 million.
The Blues are said to be the 'most interested' side in the Ecuador international, who is also attracting attention from other Premier League clubs. Chelsea face Brighton in the opening game of their pre-season tour in the United States on Saturday and Caicedo could play some part in the fixture.
Personal terms between £60k-a-week earner Caicedo and Chelsea have already been agreed for a while; nevertheless, Brighton are holding out for £100 million and have benchmarked their requested fee against the £105 million that West Ham United accumulated for the sale of Declan Rice to Arsenal, as per The Evening Standard.
Last term, Caicedo was in excellent form for Brighton, registering one goal and a solitary assist in 43 appearances across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.
As per WhoScored, the 21-year-old maintained a pass success rate of 88.8% during the campaign alongside making 2.7 tackles per match in the Premier League, showing his tendency to perform consistently on a weekly basis.
Chelsea are working on a new bid for Caicedo worth £80 million plus add-ons due to their latest offer having been rejected by his current employers, as per The Daily Mail.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, transfer expert Romano has indicated that the Blues will go to Brighton with a new 'verbal proposal' this week to try and get a deal for Caicedo over the line.
Romano stated: "What we can say is that, more than submitting an official bid, I expect Chelsea to improve their bid verbally in the conversations they're having with Brighton and to arrive to more than £70million. This is what I'm told.
"There are conversations over around £70million as a guaranteed fee, plus add-ons. This is not enough to convince Brighton, so I think Chelsea will go there with a new verbal proposal and they will try to get this deal done this week."
What other areas could Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino strengthen?
Chelsea are considering trying to recruit a central defender this window following the news that Wesley Fofana has been ruled out with a cruciate ligament injury.
Manchester United star Harry Maguire has emerged as a surprise candidate to join the Blues and discussions between intermediaries have already took place regarding a shock deal, according to 90min.
AS Monaco defender Axel Disasi is another name on the radar at Stamford Bridge this summer that could provide some solidity to Mauricio Pochettino's backline, as per RMC Sport journalist Fabrice Hawkins.
The Argentinian coach is thought to be considering a move for Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic; however, Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain are also keen to offer the Serbia international an escape route away from Turin.
Montpellier frontman Elye Wahi is 'listening carefully' to an approach from Chelsea in a prospective transfer that would then see him loaned to Strasbourg, according to Foot Mercato.
