Brighton star Moises Caicedo appears desperate to join Chelsea with the same stance on show by those at Stamford Bridge as talks are set to continue this week. The Blues have thus far seen two bids rejected by the Seagulls as they consider whether it is worth submitting a proposal worth roughly £80million, despite Brighton's triple-figure valuation.
Face-to-face negotiations for the transfer of Caicedo are now firmly on the cards with the likes of Paul Winstanley, Laurence Stewart and Behdad Eghbali set to meet senior officials from Brighton to discuss the deal. Both clubs were in Philadelphia over the weekend and played out an entertaining seven-goal thriller which Chelsea won 4-3.
Prior to the clash, Roberto De Zerbi confirmed that Caicedo would not feature for Brighton as he had only just resumed training, but it was different pre-match comments from the Italian which stole the headlines. When asked about the 21- year-old leaving, he gave a clear answer to talk of an agreement being in place that he could depart Brighton in the summer after signing a new contract.
"No it's not true because I am coach, not owner, coach, not sporting director," De Zerbi said. "Believe me, it is difficult to be a coach. In my work, I am used to speaking with my players every day, for every question, every part of life, not only football. But I didn’t give my word for nothing.
"At the moment, I have not received news that Caicedo can leave tomorrow or in the next week. I start the next season with Caicedo in my head in the first 11, for sure.”
Further comments from De Zerbi on the topic of Caicedo then came to light with the 44-year-old aiming a sly dig at Caicedo's potential next club. As quoted by CBS reporter Ben Jacobs , he said:
"It's a clear situation at the moment. He stays with us until my owner changes his mind. I don’t know what can happen in the future, but if Moises leaves we have to find the right player because it’s difficult to replace a great player because this year we play in the Europa League unlike Chelsea."
On Caicedo's side of the deal, a transfer hint has been dropped by the midfielder after he removed any affiliation with Brighton from his Instagram bio . On Tuesday , a video then emerged showing Caicedo being asked by a fan about a transfer to Chelsea, to which he gave no response.
No real progress is being made in talks, but transfer guru Fabrizio Romano delivered a hopeful update, while hinting that Caicedo may be forced into making an exit stand. In his CaughtOffside column (subscription required), he wrote:
"Moises Caicedo really wants the move, so let’s see how he will act in the next few days. I can guarantee the negotiations are ongoing and it’s not over. I know Chelsea fans are getting impatient, but he wants to join Chelsea as his priority, and they’re working.”
With Brighton also setting a firm stance that talks will only continue if Levi Colwill is included in the agreement , as per the Guardian , the onus may now be on Caicedo to make a significant decision in order to force a move.