Chelsea haven’t ruled out another bid for midfielder after first £50m+ bid rejected

Chelsea have remodeled their attack with two new signings in Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke, while also acquiring Joao Felix on loan. CFC are still not done with transfer business and want to add a midfielder to the ranks, preferably Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo.

At the start of the winter transfer window, Chelsea were heavily linked to Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez with both clubs holding talks on several occasions. In fact, the Blues had a contractual agreement with Fernandez and just needed to agree on the payment structure with the Portuguese club. However, the talks fell through as Benfica demanded a one shot payment of the release clause and the door to any sort of negotiations were slammed shut.

Since then, CFC have been evaluating midfield targets and Brighton midfielder Caicedo has emerged as the top alternative. Chelsea have been exploring the option of signing Caicedo in the winter transfer window for a while and have tested Brighton’s resolve with a £55 million bid, as per The Athletic.

Now, Caicedo isn’t a like-for-like replacement for Fernandez. The Ecuadorian has been excellent for Brighton since joining the Seagulls in January 2022. Brighton are aware of the high interest Caicedo has generated but the South coast club are not too keen to sell him in January unless a mammoth offer comes in.

Chelsea have not ruled out another bid for Moises Caicedo

According to journalist Ben Jacobs, Brighton aren’t planning to sell the Ecuadorian and it would take £75m+ offer from the Blues to turn Brighton’s heads. As of now, there is difference in valuation but Chelsea have not ruled out trying again with another bid. Caicedo’s other suitors, Liverpool, will not be making any attempts in January.

What is interesting to note is that Caicedo is changing his agents mid window and new incoming agents mean that a late move in the winter transfer window cannot be ruled out. At this point, Brighton’s approach is to sell Caicedo only at a right price, even though they would like to keep him till the summer. Chelsea will have to increase their bid by at least £15 million if they are to get Brighton interested in considering a sale.

Chelsea’s midfield has struggled this season and with their midfield cycle somewhat coming to an end, it is the need of the hour to sign a central midfielder. Jorginho and N’Golo Kante are into their final six months of their deal and while negotiations continue between Kante and CFC for a new deal, nothing is guaranteed. Even Denis Zakaria’s loan deal expires in the summer and so far there haven’t been any indications if the London club would exercise their option to buy clause for £26.3 million.

Caicedo to Chelsea is surely going to heat up in the final few days of the transfer window and it is worth keeping an eye on, on the developments.

Should CFC sign Moises Caicedo in this window?