Brighton
have rejected a second, increased offer from Chelsea for midfielder Moises
Caicedo worth £80m.
Last week the Seagulls snubbed a £70m offer from Chelsea for a player they
value in the region of £100m.
One source had told Sky Sports News that Brighton value Caicedo, who was
signed from Ecuadorian club Independiente del Valle for £4.5m in 2021, in
the same bracket as Arsenal's record-signing Declan Rice and will look to
get in the region of £100m for him.
It is thought Chelsea were getting encouragement that the 21-year-old would
join them if a deal can be agreed between the clubs, with personal terms not
expected to be a problem.
Sky Sports News understands there are no active talks between the clubs
currently.
Chelsea are now deciding whether to go back in with an improved offer or
turn their attention to other targets.
Sky Sports News has been told Brighton are committed to keeping the player
and that they do not want to sell.
Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi has made it clear he wants Caicedo to
stay.
Analysis: Has Fernandez fee made Caicedo
deal more expensive?
European football expert Kevin Hatchard on Sky Sports News:
"The Enzo Fernandez situation is interesting here. If you're Brighton, you
look at what Chelsea did with Enzo and say, 'Hang on, you paid a fortune for
him and he hadn't had an established track record in European football'.
"Yes, he was a very good, exceptional player and played very well in the
Champions League for Benfica but it was a pretty small sample size. So
they'll probably say, 'If you were prepared to pay that, you should pay it
for Caicedo'."
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