Chelsea confirm the signing of Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo in a £115MILLION British record transfer after beating Liverpool to the in-demand Ecuador star
- Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo
- Liverpool agreed a deal with the Seagulls, but Ecuadorian preferred Blues move
- WATCH: ‘It’s All Kicking Off’ – Episode 1 – Mail Sport’s brand new football show
Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Moises Caicedo on an eight-year deal after agreeing to a British record £115million deal.
‘I am so happy to join Chelsea! I am so excited to be here at this big club and I didn’t have to think twice when Chelsea called me, I just knew I wanted to sign for the club,’ he said.
‘It’s a dream come true to be here and I can’t wait to get started with the team.’
Brighton held firm in their valuation of the 21-year-old all summer and had knocked back several previous attempts by the Blues and other Premier League giants.
An auction between clubs soon emerged, with Liverpool the first to agree a fee and boss Jurgen Klopp namechecking the player in his pre-weekend press conference, in what they thought was to be a £111m move.
However, the Ecaudor has been set on a move to Stamford Bridge and Chelsea came back in with a huge offer of £115m which was accepted, and he has now put pen to paper.
Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Moises Caicedo after agreeing to a British record £115million deal with the Brighton midfielder – edging out stiff competition from Liverpool
The 21-year-old hailed his £115m, eight-year switch to join Chelsea as a dream come true
The move comes as a blow for Jurgen Klopp, after Liverpool had agreed a fee with Brighton
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The saga – which has now seen Romeo Lavia also reject Liverpool in favour of Chelsea – comes as a massive blow to Liverpool and their boss Klopp, who will feel he is now scrambling for options in the middle of the park.
It is understood the deal has been structured with £100m guaranteed and £15m in add-ons.
Around half of the £15m add-ons are said to be easily achievable, while the remainder are believed to be significantly harder to meet.
With that in mind Chelsea believe they will end up paying a similar fee that they forked out for Enzo Fernandez, who joined from Benfica in January for £107m – the current British record.
Co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said: ‘Moises has proved himself as a standout player in European football over the past 18 months, and we are thrilled to add him to Mauricio Pochettino’s squad.
Mauricio Pochettino (right) has been eager to overhaul his midfield and he finally has his man
Caicedo has made it known in the past 12 months that he has been seeking a new challenge
‘Moises possesses a rare midfield skill set and is a player we’ve been targeting for some time.
‘We believe he will make a significant impact at Stamford Bridge this season – and in the years ahead.’
It represents excellent business for Brighton, who bought Caicedo for a bargain £4.5m from Independiente del Valle in 2021. However, he did not make his Premier League debut until April 2022.
Since then, he has featured 45 times in the English top-flight.
Caicedo asked to leave Brighton in the January transfer window earlier this year – with Arsenal looking to sign the youngster.
Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi made a slight dig about Caicedo to reporters during Friday’s press conference ahead of the Premier League game against Luton.
Caicedo is expected to form a devastating partnership at Chelsea alongside Enzo Fernandez
Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi made a slight dig about Caicedo’s departure on Friday
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De Zerbi said: ‘I have already forgotten about Moises. I’m really proud of the players we have in the squad.
‘We want to keep improving. The credit goes to the club. Bigger clubs can buy our players but they can’t buy our soul or spirit.’
However, the Gunners had multiple offers turned down before Caicedo decided to sign a new deal with the Seagulls.
Chelsea began monitoring Caicedo and decided to make a move for the 21-year-old during the summer transfer window.
They were looking to reinforce their midfield line after losing the likes of Mason Mount, N’Golo Kanté, Jorginho, Ruben Lofus-Cheek and Mateo Kovacic this year.
However, they were beaten to the punch by Liverpool.
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