Chelsea favourites to land Arsenal target but won’t offer Levi Colwill in return

Chelsea are close to landing Moises Caicedo, but won’t offer Levi Colwill in a swap deal

As per Evening Standard, Chelsea are favourites to sign Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo but won’t offer Levi Colwill in return for a swap deal.

The report reveals that the Ecuador international wants to move to Chelsea and the Blues are in discussions to agree on personal terms with him. Arsenal have also been linked with a move for the Ecuadorian star.

Caicedo has an agreement with Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi to leave the Seagulls this summer. He signed a new deal after the January window, but that doesn’t matter it seems.

It is also shared that the fee of around £80m might be enough for Chelsea to sign the 21-year-old. Whether Brighton would demand more than that, remains to be seen.

The other part of the news is an interesting one, to be honest. It is pretty clear that the Blues want to keep hold of Colwill, irrespective of what happens with the Caicedo deal.

The young England defender had an excellent loan spell at Brighton during the 2022/23 season. He is a natural left-footed player who reads the game well, has the pace to track runners and can pass the ball nicely to create openings from the back.

If Chelsea manage to sign Caicedo and keep Colwill, it would solve two key departments in the team. The former can partner Enzo Fernandez in a combative yet technical midfield partnership, while the latter can take up one of the central defensive positions.

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The Blues do have backup options in store if the Caicedo deal doesn’t get over the line. Southampton’s Romeo Lavia and Everton’s Amadou Onana are among the targeted players. The hope would be that the primary target arrives at the club this summer.