23 August 2023 , 11:33
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Chelsea's signing of Moises Caicedo from Brighton was one of the biggest stories of the transfer window, with the Blues eventually getting their man after Liverpool attempted to hijack the deal.
The 21-year-old made the move to Stamford Bridge for a British record £115m transfer fee, despite Liverpool having a late bid accepted by the Seagulls. Chelsea had been courting Caicedo all summer and had multiple offers rejected by Brighton before they eventually sealed the deal.
They first attempted to sign him in January, but their £55m bid was promptly rejected and Chelsea instead focused on completing a £106m move for Enzo Fernandez. They then refocused their efforts on Caicedo this summer, with Arsenal pulling out of the race to sign Declan Rice instead.
According to the Athletic, Chelsea had four more offers rejected by Brighton who felt Caicedo was worth at least £100m given the Gunners forked out £105m on Rice. Chelsea's fourth bid was worth £80m.
And with Brighton said to be 'growing impatient with Chelsea', Liverpool swooped in and agreed a record fee of £111m for Caicedo after banking £52m from the sales of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to Saudi Arabia.
Chelsea complete record-breaking Enzo Fernandez transfer after deadline day rush
The report adds that Chelsea's initial reaction to news of Liverpool's attempted hijack was "surprise", with the feeling that their offer was "insane". However, Caicedo was only ever interested in moving to Stamford Bridge and they eventually thrashed out a deal worth £115m.
It does appear that Chelsea felt that fee was way over the odds with Liverpool forcing their hand, given it is a whopping £35m more than what they offered Brighton just a month earlier.
Moises Caicedo joined Chelsea in a British record move (Getty Images)Caicedo made his Chelsea debut at the weekend in their 3-1 loss to West Ham, with his performance branded a "nightmare" by Jamie Carragher. The midfielder gave away a penalty after coming off the bench, prompting Carragher to say on Sky Sports: "That man Caicedo has had a bit of a nightmare since he came on, you have to say.
"It's a poor, lazy challenge. Emerson always knows he'll get there before him. We all did watching it! He hasn't started great since coming on." However, Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino defended Caicedo, insisting he will come good.
"He was telling us he was ready, I think 30 minutes is good for him, many positive things and he is maybe disappointed but we need to move on and he will be a good player for us," Pochettino explained. "I cannot change my speech after Liverpool we needed to believe in the process and we need to keep being calm and that is the process."