Chelsea agree record £115m Moises Caicedo deal to pip Liverpool to Brighton star

13 August 2023 , 21:42

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Chelsea agree record £115m Moises Caicedo deal to pip Liverpool to Brighton star

Chelsea have struck an agreement with Brighton to sign midfielder Moises Caicedo in a British club record transfer deal worth £115million - which includes £15m in add-ons.

A medical test has been booked for Monday for the Ecuadorian international with an announcement from the clubs scheduled to be confirmed later in the day. It is anticipated Caicedo will sign an eight-year contract at Stamford Bridge, with the option of a further year - through to the summer of 2032.

The mammoth fee comfortably beats the £106m Chelsea paid to land Enzo Fernandez from Benfica back in January, and gives new boss Mauricio Pochettino a top class defensive midfielder for his new Blues side.

It follows days of high drama as the Liverpool had a British record transfer fee of £111million accepted by the Seagulls for the 21-year-old. It had been Chelsea who were long considered to be the frontrunners for Caicedo's signature, but it was the first of many twists with the Blues ultimately getting their man.

Chelsea have beaten Liverpool to the signing of the in-demand Caicedo

Brighton had set a deadline on Thursday night for the highest bidder to land Caicedo, whom they had priced at £100m all summer. The Blues had not gone above £80m prior to that deadline, but then accepted the demands of the South Coast club and upped their bid to £100m.

Chelsea complete record-breaking Enzo Fernandez transfer after deadline day rush

However, that was £11m shy of Liverpool’s bid – with Reds boss Jurgen Klopp confirming on Friday that a deal had been struck with Brighton and it was now in the hands of the player. However, Caicedo has had his heart set on moving to Stamford Bridge – and now that moves now appears set.

Chelsea will now land the player for a British club record £115m deal - £15m more than Brighton’s initial asking price, and £4m more than Liverpool’s bid. It was Stamford Bridge that the player long had his heart set on.

It is believed that the Blues long-standing interest in his signature - whereas Liverpool only entered the bidding process at the eleventh hour - combined with him being situated in London in recent days, messaging key figures that he was on his way to Chelsea, was crucial in the outcome of his future.

Colin Millar