Chelsea are expected to submit a "new bid" for Brighton and Hove Albion's defensive midfielder Moises Caicedo "in the next days", according to reliable journalist Rudy Galetti.
Is Moises Caicedo leaving Brighton?
The Premier League talisman has established himself as an integral member of Roberto De Zerbi’s squad at The Amex having started 34 out of the 38 top-flight games last season, and after emerging as his outfit’s best-performing defensive player, he’s been attracting significant interest since the start of the year.
Back in January, Arsenal were heavily linked with a swoop for the 21-year-old who even penned an open letter on social media to share his desire to leave, but soon after, it came as a surprise that he put pen to paper on a new long-term Seagulls contract until 2027, likely so that they could sell their prized asset for more money this summer.
The Blues more recently entered the race for the Ecuador international but saw their initial £60m offer turned down, though with members of the media having since claimed that he’s “keen to join” and is “pushing for the move”, Todd Boehly and Mauricio Pochettino are ready to take a second bite of the cherry.
Are Chelsea signing Moises Caicedo?
Taking to Twitter, Galetti revealed that Chelsea will imminently table a fresh offer for Caicedo in the hope of finally reaching a summer agreement to bring him to Stamford Bridge, with the new Blues boss feeling he is "the ideal player" to sign.
"Chelsea are ready to speed things up for Caicedo [by] making a new bid in the next days. The position of Brighton is quite adamant, asking for at least £100m, but CFC will do their best to sign the [Ecuadorian]. Poch considers him the ideal player to strengthen the midfield."
How good is Moises Caicedo?
Chelsea will know that Caicedo is stronger in the natural defensive midfield aspect of his game having registered just one goal and assist last season in the Premier League, but having been dubbed a “Machine Man” sitting in front of the backline by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Pochettino admiring him so much comes as no surprise.
The Futbol Division client won a total of 50 out of his 100 tackles over the course of the previous campaign which was the highest success rate throughout the whole of his squad, via FBRef, not to mention that he also averaged 1.5 interceptions per top-flight game, highlighting his desire to win back possession for his team.
The World Cup participant additionally has the flexibility to operate slightly higher up in central midfield and even at right-back alongside his usual role which is yet another attractive attribute, so he would provide the Blues with plenty of versatility should he put pen to paper in the weeks ahead.
With Brighton appearing to stand firm on their valuation, Boehly will know that he'll seriously need to splash the cash if he wants to acquire the services of his long-term target in Caicedo, and there's no doubt that he's a player who could prove to be a shrewd signing in London.
