Big-spending Blues and Caicedo, a midfielder for Brighton who turned down a “dream move” to Liverpool, have agreed to a £115 million British transfer record sum. Now that Chelsea is trying to finalize a deal for Southampton midfielder Lavia, Liverpool is preparing for yet another transfer setback.
Liverpool is prepared to spend £60 million on Lavia in order to make up for losing out on Caicedo, while Chelsea has not yet set a price with Southampton but is optimistic that a deal can be reached and is in advanced negotiations.
Liverpool, who agreed to a £115 million agreement with Brighton for Caicedo after failing to sign Lavia, fear that the transfer situation would go tragically wrong.
Caicedo, whose introduction as a Chelsea player had him donning a Blues jersey as a youngster, made it obvious that he only desired to transfer to Stamford Bridge. Liverpool had been expecting to sign Lavia, but when they abruptly changed their transfer priorities, the trail went cold.
If Liverpool doesn’t land Lavia, they could now pursue Fluminese midfielder Andre. N’Golo Kante, a former Chelsea player who Caicedo grew up idolizing, told Brighton he only wanted to move to Stamford Bridge, and now Caicedo has agreed to an eight-year contract with a one-year option.
UEFA have changed their rules so the cost of the transfer can only be spread over five years but the eight-year deal means they can guarantee Caicedo a bigger contract overall even if the weekly wage fits into their pay structure.
Chelsea will pay an initial £100m with £15m in add-ons plus a big sell-on clause for Brighton should he move again which was key in getting the deal done. Incredibly, Brighton signed Caicedo for just £4m two years ago.
“I am really excited to join Chelsea,” Caicedo exclaimed. I couldn’t have hesitated when Chelsea called because I was so eager to join the club and I am so happy to be here at such a prestigious club. Being here is a dream come true, and I can’t wait to start working with the group.
“Moises has established himself as a standout performer in European football over the past 18 months, and we are happy to welcome him to Mauricio Pochettino’s side,” continued co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley.
“Moises is a guy we’ve been eyeing for a while since he offers a unique mix of midfield skills. We anticipate that he will have a big impact at Stamford Bridge both this season and in the years to come.