Chelsea Press Ahead For Moises Caicedo As Arsenal Turn To Villarreal Star
Written By Onyeka Daniel
It’s going to be a busy summer for Chelsea as new manager, Mauricio Pochettino will be tasked with picking the right type of players for his reign at the club, while lots of players are also expected to leave due to the size of their squad.
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According to report, the coach has asked for a midfielder and a striker to complete his team while he goes through the squad to pick the ones that should be set free.
With the future of Mateo Kovacic, Ngolo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek set to be away from the club, a midfield partner for Enzo Fernandez is a must and the Blues have already decided on which player that they want to sign already.
Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo has reportedly agreed to move to the Stamford Bridge in this summer’s transfer window, with interest from Arsenal for the player ending.
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The 21-year-old was a key part of the Seagulls side which secured European football for the first time in the club’s history under Roberto De Zerbi, finishing sixth in the Premier League.
The Ecuadorian formed partnerships with the likes of Alexis Mac Allister and Pascal Gross in the Brighton engine room as they earned a place in the Europa League for the club. According to The Sun, it is unlikely that the midfielder will be at the club for this new season, with Caicedo agreeing to join Chelsea as Liverpool have already snapped up Mac Allister.
In January, the Seagulls rejected a €70 million offer from Arsenal for the Ecuadorian, but it is believed that the Brighton hierarchy are now prepared for his departure, even if he’s not expected to leave for a cheap either.
The report adds that the West Londoners are in discussions with Caicedo and his representatives over a move, with the Seagulls understood to be demanding around €100 million plus, as they believe he’s in the same bracket with West Ham’s Declan Rice.
It is believed that Arsenal have ended their interest in the player, with Mikel Arteta’s Gunners focusing their attention to luring Rice to the Emirates Stadium instead. The Blues have no intention of paying more than €80m for Caicedo and are considering using a number of players as makeweight in the prospective deal.
It is claimed Chelsea may even be prepared to include England midfielder Conor Gallagher in the deal, a player Brighton have already expressed interest in. While Gallagher is liked at Stamford Bridge, he was a bit-part player last season and could be open to a move to another Premier League side.
Everton made a £45m bid for Gallagher in January, while Tottenham have shown interest in signing the 23-year-old this summer. Also, there’s another possible name, Levi Colwill, who was really impressive on loan at Brighton last season from Chelsea and while Brighton tried to sign him permanent, their €30 million bid was rejected with reports that Pochettino ia hoping to count on the young defender in his new look team.
Chelsea, who finished just 12th in the Premier League last season, are preparing for another busy transfer window, with Christopher Nkunku and Malo Gusto arriving at Stamford Bridge after the post-season break. By then, the Blues will hope to have added Caicedo to Pochettino’s squad and made progress in their pursuit of a new striker.
Meanwhile…
Arsenal have joined the race for Villarreal winger, Samuel Chukwueze and will look to challenge Italian side, AC Milan for the player. The Rossoneri are on the lookout for a right-winger and Chukwueze fits the profile.
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But will have to contend with the new interest from the EPL club. Despite having an €80 million release clause, his price tag is believed to be in the region of €25m and his contract with the ‘Yellow Submarine’ expires in June 2024.
Even though they already have Bukayo Saka playing in that role, with UCL football beckoning, they would need a larger squad to help them rotate and the Villarreal winger would make a quality addition to their squad.
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