As things stand Liverpool’s club-record £110m bid remains the only offer Brighton have accepted for wantaway midfielder Moises Caicedo
Liverpool get their new Premier League season underway at Chelsea on Sunday in what is the stand-out fixture over the opening weekend.
But while normally full attention would be on matters on the pitch at Stamford Bridge come 4.30pm, in truth there are likely to be more eyes on
events actually off the field of play as this week both sides became embroiled in one of the Premier League’s host hectic transfer sagas.
Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia have been the subject of bids from both clubs this week, with the Reds having a club-record £110m bid accepted by
Brighton for the Ecuador international on Thursday night just days after Southampton had rejected their third offer, worth £46m for the Belgian on
Monday.
Meanwhile, Chelsea are reportedly preparing an offer of £115m for Caicedo, having already been outbid by Liverpool after belatedly agreeing to pay
Brighton’s £100m asking price following a midnight cut-off point with the Seagulls wanting his future resolved quickly. They are also said to be
working on a £52m plus £3m in add-ons deal for Lavia, having had a £48m bid rejected on Wednesday.
As things stand, Brighton sources maintain that the Reds’ £110m bid remains the only offer accepted by the Seagulls. That is despite the fact that
Chelsea have had the best part of two days to better Liverpool’s record-breaking offer.
Sky Sports reporter Melissa Reddy would credit one source as saying: “More tweets about what they’ll do than what they actually have.” They’re not
wrong, as both Brighton and Liverpool wait to see what Chelsea do next.
The Londoners are perhaps still favourites to sign Caicedo, with it suggested they are the player’s preferred destination. Reports in Ecuador have
indicated Caicedo has informed his representatives to give the Stamford Bridge side an opportunity to make a fresh bid out of respect given they have
been pursuing his signature for much of the summer.
It has prompted contrasting claims elsewhere, with some stating the player only wants a move to Chelsea, while others suggest he is instead keeping
an open mind and would still be willing to join Liverpool if a new bid from the Londonders was not forthcoming. Either way, the Reds have no
intention of withdrawing their own bid and haven’t given up hope of signing Caicedo as a result.
While an improved Chelsea bid for Caicedo has still not been placed, it has been reported that they are pushing to complete the prospective £115m
deal for the midfielder with Sky Sports claiming it could even be agreed before they kick off the season against Liverpool on Sunday. If that is indeed
what they are working towards to agree a fee with Brighton, the next 24 hours will be decisive.
Such a transfer is admittedly unlikely to be finalised before Sunday’s 4.30pm kick-off at Stamford Bridge, but all eyes and cameras will be on the
lookout to see if Caicedo, or to a lesser extent Lavia, is at the game. From a Liverpool point of view, the Ecuadorian’s presence would likely be bad
news for any hope they have of signing him from Brighton.
It’s possible that Chelsea, if an agreement is reached with Brighton in time, could look to unveil the 21-year-old at Stamford Bridge. Such a scenario
would really be rubbing salt in Liverpool wounds.
Yet even if not officially unveiled, Caicedo’s attendance on Sunday would tell the Reds all they need to know. Without saying a word, it would
essentially confirm that the Ecuador international does indeed only have eyes for Chelsea.
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New signings attending their would-be club’s matches is nothing new, yet such a presence is predominantly limited to home outings where the side
controls access. If Caicedo is at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, he is likely to be a guest of Chelsea with his transfer belatedly progressing.
If he does attend the game, we’ll all know about it. Be it in the form of an official unveiling, or the Sky Sports cameras being glued to the crowd and
directors’ box in hope of spotting the wantaway Brighton midfielder.
But consequently, if he stays away it reiterates how, at the very least, his future remains up in the air.
Unsurprisingly, Caicedo was not included in the Brighton squad for their Premier League opener against Luton Town. Left out of their final pre-
season friendly last weekend, the midfielder, who hasn’t trained this week, is said to have spent the week in London in anticipation of a possible
transfer, and has already cleared out his locker.
Soundbites of “I have already forgotten about Moises,” and “Moises is leaving…[h]e’s not important for me now,” from Brighton manager Roberto De
Zerbi make the Seagulls’ stance regarding his future abundantly clear. He is a soon-to-be former player, with the only thing left to resolve being his
actual destination.
As a result, Caicedo really is the last person those of a Liverpool persuasion should wish to see at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, as Anfield bosses
continue to wait it out to see if they will actually succeed in efforts to sign the hotly fought over Ecuadorian.
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