Liverpool reach agreement with Brighton for midfielder Moises Caicedo after submitting an astonishing offer to outbid Chelsea
Liverpool have agreed an astonishing £110million record-breaking deal with Brighton & Hove Albion for Moises Caicedo.
In a nutshell
Brighton held an auction on Thursday night for their highly-sought central-midfielder. The Seagulls implemented a midnight cut-off point for all bids involving the
Ecuadorian.
Caicedo is expected to complete his medical with the Anfield club on Friday. Despite personal terms yet to be agreed between the two parties, The Athletic reports
they are expected to be a formality.
The Reds’ desperation to splash out on a midfielder follows the departure of club legend Fabinho to Al Ittihad, leaving a huge hole at the heart of Jurgen Klopp’s
midfield.
What has been said
Scouse legend and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher said: “£110m is a big price for Caicedo but Liverpool had to pay big as clubs knew they were desperate. But
signing two top young players for 145M & selling two of your older players for 52M is great business!”
Background
The latest developments come as a major blow to Chelsea, who were long considered to be frontrunners in the race for Caicedo until having their approach hijacked.
Now Liverpool are set to break the bank and with it, smash both the club and British record transfers.
Liverpool’s previous most expensive signing was Virgil van Dijk at £75m while Manchester City’s £100m acquisition of Jack Grealish had held the record British fee
since 2021.
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Caicedo, who featured in all but one Premier League game for Brighton last season, is now expected to join fellow midfield additions Dominik Szoboszlai and World
Cup winning former Brighton team-mate Alexis Mac Allister.
Chelsea had been eager to add the 21-year-old to their own depleted midfield after a mass exodus this summer saw Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante and
Ruben Loftus-Cheek all leave.
What happens next
Jurgen Klopp will be holding his press conference at 10am Fridayto preview the Chelsea game.
Chelsea are expected to turn their attention to acquiring either Leeds United’s Tyler Adams or Southampton’s Romeo Lavia, who Liverpool were also interested in.
Meanwhile, Brighton have now lost both of their central midfielders to Klopp’s side in the transfer window. It is uncertain whether Caicedo will immediately be
thrown into action against Chelsea as Liverpool travel to Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
READ NEXT:
When Moises Caicedo could make Liverpool debut if £110m transfer is sealed
Liverpool are closing in on the club-record signing of Moises Caicedo from Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Ecuador international had long been expected to join Chelsea, only for the Londoners to struggle to agree a deal with the Seagulls after seeing a number of bids
knocked this summer. This opened the door to the Reds, who contacted Brighton about a possible deal on Thursday.
Setting a midnight cut-off point for offers, with the intention of selling to the highest bidder, Chelsea did agree to meet Brighton’s £100m asking-price. However,
Liverpool have stolen the 21-year-old from under their noses after offering a club-record £110m, which would make Caicedo the Premier League’s most expensive
player.
The Reds were in the market for a new defensive midfielder after unexpectedly losing both Fabinho and Jordan Henderson to Saudi Arabia earlier this summer. And
now they are set to replace the pair with one of the Premier League’s most highly-coveted players, with Caicedo joining former Brighton team-mate Alexis Mac
Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai as part of a £205m midfield revamp.
GET INVOLVED: How to follow every step of Liverpool’s 2023/24 season with the ECHO
While personal terms are not yet agreed, they are expected to be a formality with a medical pencilled in for Friday. But when can the Ecuadorian make his debut?
Premier League rules are likely to prevent Liverpool and Caicedo inadvertently rubbing salt in Chelsea wounds when the two sides lock horns in their season-opener
at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. While it’s possible that the Reds complete a deal before that game, they are unlikely to have him registered before Friday’s midday
cut-off point for this weekend’s fixtures.
Section U.23 of the Premier League rulebook states: “Subject to the provisions of Rule V.1, the deadline for receipt by the board of all duly completed documents
required by these rules to effect the registration of a player shall be 12 noon on the last working day before the date of the first league match in which the club
making the application intends him to play, save that the international transfer certificate and evidence of eligibility to take up employment in the United Kingdom
(in both cases if applicable) may be provided thereafter (but must be provided before the player is eligible to play for a club in a league match).”
Consequently, supporters will likely have to wait until Liverpool’s first home game of the season against AFC Bournemouth on Saturday 19 August for their first
chance to see the Reds’ new club-record signing in action.
Whether he would be fit to start remains to be seen, with the midfielder having reportedly not trained with Brighton this week ahead of an expected transfer. He also
didn’t take part in their final pre-season friendly as they drew 1-1 with Rayo Vallecano on August 6.
After facing Bournemouth, Liverpool travel to Newcastle United on Sunday 27 August. But the Reds will hope to have Caicedo bedded in long before then as Jurgen
Klopp gets ready to unleash his new-look £205m midfield.
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