Chelsea may now have to pay in excess of £75m to sign Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo following the Stamford Bridge outfit’s deal for Mykhaylo Mudryk, CBS reporter Ben Jacobs has told GiveMeSport.
It appears the Blues’ swoop for the Ukrainian forward may impact the rest of their transfer business during the January window.
Chelsea transfer news – Moises Caicedo
Chelsea’s interest in Caicedo is no secret and it was reported by Simon Phillips on GiveMeSport earlier this week that the west London outfit are likely to make an approach for the Ecuador international in the coming days.
Caicedo worked under Chelsea boss Graham Potter at the Amex Stadium before the 47-year-old replaced Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge back in September.
Meanwhile, Chelsea appear to be in the market for a central midfielder this month, likely in no small part due to the fact N’Golo Kante, Denis Zakaria and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are all currently injured.
The Premier League side’s pursuit of Argentina World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez came to an abrupt and quite unsavory end – although some reporters such as Dharmesh Sheth insist a deal could still be possible – and that has seemingly thrust them towards Caicedo as an alternative target.
He could become Chelsea’s fourth first-team signing of the transfer window with the Blues already agreeing deals for Benoit Badiashile, Joao Felix and Mudryk – the latter costing £88.5m.
And Jacobs believes that transfer fee could now influence Brighton’s valuation of Caicedo.
What has Ben Jacobs said about Moises Caicedo’s price-tag?
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jacobs detailed how Caicedo’s price-tag has increased since the summer and could now be in excess of £75m.
Jacobs told GMS: “The valuation over the summer was at least £50m. There were jokes over the summer from Graham Potter, then at Brighton, that ‘a bid for £42m wouldn’t even buy you Moises Caicedo’s boots’ and now Paul Barber, the Brighton CEO, says ‘£42m won’t even buy you Moises Caicedo’s laces’. So Brighton are going to be looking at… I’ve always said £70m-£75m, but now people have seen what Mudryk has gone for, that could well be in excess of £75m.”
How much is Moises Caicedo worth?
Brighton initially paid just £4.5m to sign Caicedo from Independiente del Valle in 2021, however his profile has risen considerably since then.
Back in November, Sky Sports’ Jamie Redknapp declared him to be a “revelation”, while former Brighton man Steve Sidwell dubbed him “absolutely brilliant” – as reported by Sussex Live.
Meanwhile, Alan Shearer has already tipped him to become a “top player”, while praising his all-round game.
“He can do a little bit of everything, he’s athletic, he can tackle, he can pass, he can read the game. Scores one or two goals,” the Newcastle legend told BBC.
So it appears an investment in Caicedo is one for the here and now as well as the future, which explains why such astronomical fees are being touted for a 21-year-old.
Furthermore, his contract doesn’t expire for another two and a half years and Brighton are currently pushing for a European spot, so they’ll be reluctant to lose one of their best players mid-season.
That gives the Seagulls a strong hand around the negotiating table, while the Mudryk deal only further endorses their position. The 22-year-old has never played in a major European top flight before, whereas Caicedo has already established himself at Premier League level.
Chelsea may have played themselves into a corner when it comes to Caicedo’s potential transfer fee after spending so much on the Ukrainian prodigy.
Source: msn
