Ecuadorian side Independiente are set to name a building after Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Moisés Caicedo if he leaves in a big money move this summer.
That’s according to El Universo, who cover comments from Independiente owner Michel Deller and general manager Santiago Morales regarding the plan for the
funds should they receive them.
The newspaper explains that the Ecuadorian club plan to build a High-Performance Centre in Santo Domingo named after the player if they receive their cut of a
transfer fee as expected.
Caicedo has been heavily linked with a move to Chelsea from Brighton this summer that could see him become the most expensive Ecuadorian player in the history
of football.
According to Morales, who appeared on Radio Activa de Cuenca after Brighton signed the midfielder in 2021, Independiente kept ‘20% of his training
rights’ moving forwards.
Thus, if his suitors were to sign the player for $127m this summer, his former club would pocket around $25.4m and Espoli, the side who discovered Caicedo and
still own 5% of his rights, would receive $6.35m.
Those are big sums for clubs of those sizes, to say the least, and Deller, who owns Independiente, has explained they have big plans for it should it arrive.
“If Moisés Caicedo is sold, the percentage that corresponds to Independiente for this sale, we decided to put that money in a trust, and it can only be used for the
lower divisions,” he is quoted as saying.
“We want to invest in a high-performance center in Santo Domingo, which will bear the name of Moisés Caicedo, that money is important, and it will be used for
our boys.
“When Moisés was here (on vacation) I talked to him and told him about this idea, he was happy.”
Chelsea’s £138m transfer ‘breakthrough’ creates new problem for Mauricio Pochettino
ANALYSIS: Chelsea are making big moves to bolster Mauricio Pochettino’s midfield with bids for both Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.
Chelsea are desperate to bolster their midfield options before the transfer window closes and have reportedly made huge strides in their attempts to sign Romeo
Lavia and Moises Caicedo. Signing both will cost in the region of £138million, but finding that sort of money won’t be the only issue for Todd Boehly and co.
Chelsea’s ownership group have proven over the past 12 months that they’re willing to splash huge sums of cash in the transfer market. No club in Europe has come
close to matching Chelsea’s spending power and it shows no signs of stopping with approaches made for Caicedo and Lavia.
Mauricio Pochettino is in need of midfield recruits after Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek were let go this summer. It’s left just Enzo
Fernandez and Conor Gallagher as the two recognised central midfielders in Chelsea’s squad.
Carney Chukwuemeka and Andrey Santos have been given opportunities this summer to show what they can do, but both are seen as stars for the future. Bids for
both Caicedo and Lavia prove that Chelsea aren’t happy with the options currently at their disposal.
But Pochettino will have to be wary of his squad size for the upcoming season still with no European football to help utilise some of his more younger players. Both
Chukwuemeka and Santos will be hoping they’re given opportunities at Stamford Bridge this season.
Lavia would also fall into the same category as Santos and Chukwuemeka with the Southampton star just 19 years of age himself. Chelsea’s interest in Caicedo is
more understandable given his experience in the Premier League and on the world stage.
But Pochettino would then have to figure out what to do with Conor Gallagher, who has formed a strong partnership with Fernandez in pre-season.
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