Chelsea have signed Moises Caicedo. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
According to Nizaar Kinsella for Evening Standard, Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo missed their latest training session in an attempt to force a move to Chelsea in this transfer window.
The Ecuador international was left out of the Seagulls squad which faced Rayo Vallecano in a pre-season game on Sunday, sparking discussions that his move to Chelsea is closer than ever.
Brighton executive Paul Barber did reiterate that the 21-year-old will be available for the league opener against Luton Town on Saturday. Their manager Roberto De Zerbi did not rule out a situation where the player is sold though and was confident about signing a replacement.
Chelsea have had three bids rejected by the Seagulls for the midfielder. The latest was worth £80m with the latter adamant that anything less than £100m won’t suffice referencing to the Declan Rice transfer that took place this summer.
With the opening game of the season six days away, it is high time that Chelsea heed the signals coming from Caicedo’s camp and push on to pay the required money to sign him in the coming days.
The Blues have sold a lot of central midfielders this summer and are in danger of going with a midfield pivot of Enzo Fernandez and Conor Gallagher against Liverpool on Sunday.
Although signing Caicedo in the next few days may not make him available for that game, it would at least be reassuring to everyone that the Ecuadorian is a Chelsea player and he will start his midfield partnership with Fernandez soon.
Brighton are one of the tough nuts to crack in the transfer market. Chelsea have tried to be the smart guys by attempting to sign the 21-year-old for less than the asking price. The time to become smart is over. The deadline is looming and the cheque needs to be signed as soon as possible.
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