Moises
Caicedo has seemingly rejected the chance to join Liverpool and wants to
move to Chelsea, despite the Reds agreeing a British-record £111m fee with
Brighton.
Liverpool's offer was accepted by Brighton after a midnight deadline for
bids for the midfielder was set on Thursday. It is understood Chelsea were
prepared to go to £100m for the player, and Bayern Munich were prepared to
pay £90m.
However, although Caicedo was expected to travel to Liverpool for a medical
on Friday, he had a change of heart and told the Reds he didn't want to
join. He remains in London and has made it clear he only wants to leave
Brighton for Chelsea, who have been pursuing him all summer.
Chelsea are yet to offer a new improved bid, and it remains to be seen
whether they will.
"I have already forgotten about Moises," Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi
said. "I'm really proud of the players we have in the squad. Bigger clubs
can buy our players but they can't buy our soul or spirit."
Liverpool formally submitted their proposal late on Thursday night after
Caicedo seemingly indicated his willingness to move to Anfield.
"The fee with the club is agreed," confirmed Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp
on Friday. "We will see what that means. We aren't a club with endless
resources and we didn't expect a couple of things to happen this summer.
Then it happened."
As reported by Sky Sports News, Liverpool were locked in discussions with
Brighton to ascertain all the financial parameters of doing a deal in case
Chelsea couldn't or wouldn't reach an agreement.
Liverpool were informed just after midnight that they were indeed the
highest bidders.
Brighton signed Caicedo for £4.5m from Independiente del Valle in 2021.
Redknapp: I'm shocked Caicedo has turned Liverpool down, he would have been
perfect
Former Liverpool captain and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp on the
Essential Football Podcast:
"I'm obviously hugely biased in this one - but this is astonishing for me!
"Normally Liverpool would always, always win this one hands down. I just
thought it was inevitable. I woke up as a Liverpool fan, very happy with
that one. But then to hear the news that he's turned Liverpool down… I'll
believe it when I see him in a Chelsea shirt.
"I thought he would look great in that red kit. I thought he would be the
perfect signing for Liverpool.
"I get the attraction of Chelsea. It's a huge club. They've won so many
things over the years. But I think in terms of the history of the clubs, I'm
amazed, especially with Caicedo joining up with Alexis Mac Allister, I
thought it would be a perfect move.
"It certainly makes it interesting for Southampton because they'll be going,
'OK, you want Romeo Lavia, you're going to have to pay top dollar for him
now. And they go cap in hand, on the phone to them saying, 'You were always
our first choice and that's been proven that he wasn't'. But that's football
sometimes and I'm sure that they'll have to go back in, in that respect."
'Caicedo's in London and Liverpool are in
limbo'
Sky Sports News reporter Vinny O'Connor on Liverpool's pursuit of Moises
Caicedo:
"I don't think they were overly optimistic, even this morning. There was a
concern that Chelsea weren't giving up.
"We understand Bayern Munich bid around £90m, Chelsea were looking to spend
£100m, but none of that matched Liverpool's bid of £111m.
"It was then expected that Caicedo would travel to Merseyside for a medical
and to talk about personal terms.
"However, he had a change of heart and told Liverpool that he didn't want to
join, and told Brighton that he was only looking to join Chelsea.
"Chelsea are still to come back with an improved offer and it's not clear
whether Brighton will entertain any further offers.
"Caicedo remains in London, while Liverpool are in limbo."
Analysis: Brighton's business model pays
off again as Reds complete midfield rebuild
Sky Sports' Peter Smith:
"Brighton had been insistent all summer that they wanted Moises Caicedo to
stay - but the offer from Liverpool was too good to turn down for a player
they paid just £4.5m for in 2021. That's some profit. And another example of
great transfer business from the south coast club, following big gains
they've made from players such as Alexis Mac Allister and Marc Cucurella.
"The fact the Seagulls are still expected to go on and have a big season,
playing entertaining football under Roberto De Zerbi, is testament to their
successful business model and how well-run they are.
"At 21, Caicedo is a player with years at the top of world football ahead of
him. He ranked second for tackles and interceptions last season in the
Premier League, showing he is already a leading defensive midfielder in the
competition."
Analysis: From tearful teen to in-demand
star
In the wake of his country's World Cup exit last year, when other players
were jetting off to high-end holiday resorts, Moises Caicedo was back in
Santo Domingo, Ecuador, playing in a local tournament on the same dusty
pitch he used as a boy.
In footage which went viral in the country, Caicedo, a rising star in the
Premier League who had just become Ecuador's youngest scorer at a World Cup,
can be seen finding the net again, only this time as a ringer for Caicedos
FC, a team made up of extended family members.
His goal, slotted in at the near post in ramshackle surroundings, helped
Caicedos FC win the tournament and was celebrated with a leap, a fist pump,
and a gesture of recognition to the few hundred spectators sitting or
leaning on fences around the pitch.
"This is Moises," Miguel Angel Ramirez, Caicedo's former coach at his
boyhood club Independiente del Valle, tells Sky Sports with a smile. "Going
back to his village, to his family, his friends, playing football, helping
everyone there. He doesn't forget his people..."
top