Chelsea abandon pursuit of Italian ace to focus on priority summer signing

Chelsea pull out of the race to sign PSG ace Marco Verratti to complete Moises Caicedo deal

Chelsea have withdrawn from the race to sign PSG star Marco Verratti, who Mauricio Pochettino was interested in signing as they prioritise the acquisition of their top target, Moises Caicedo this summer transfer window.

According to Foot Mercato, (h/t Express), the Italian midfielder has interest from a Saudi club but is having second thoughts regarding his move to the middle east. This gave the Blues an opportunity to swoop in and bring the player to Stamford Bridge.

Having worked with Pochettino at Paris Saint-Germain, the Argentine manager was keen to add his experience to the squad. However, that is out of the question now.

However, now it is understood that Chelsea have softened their interest in the 30-year-old signing and turned their entire emphasis on landing Caicedo from Brighton & Hove Albion. We have no choice but to go all in for the 21-year-old in the coming days.

The Blues are prepared to break the British transfer record as they are working on making £115 million to the Seagulls to buy the 21-year-old. The Ecuadorian midfielder has also made it clear that he wants a move to Chelsea, despite Liverpool agreeing to pay £111 million to sign him.

Chelsea have been negotiating for months to sign their top target, and instead of spending £100 million, they will now have to spend more than that to outbid the Reds.

The addition of Caicedo will drastically elevate our midfield because of his maturity at just 21 years old and will future proof the defensive midfielders’ position. Verratti would have been a fantastic addition, but his age would have been an issue with injuries now piling up.

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It is preferable for us to choose Caicedo, the 21-year-old who has also competed in the Premier League, over Verratti who is not getting any younger. Let’s hope we sign him before there are any more complications since we are about to pay another British record bid.