Arsenal knocked back with £60m bid for Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo - Report

ByAlasdair Mackenzie

Published 27/01/2023 at 14:59 GMT

Arsenal have had a £60m bid for Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo rejected and are weighing up an improved offer, say reports. The Gunners are looking to reinforce their Premier League-leading squad this month and have already brought in Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior. Brighton don't want to sell Caicedo in January despite being offered what would be a club record fee.

Brighton have turned down a £60 million bid from Arsenal for Moises Caicedo that would have made the midfielder the club’s most expensive sale.

Caicedo has attracted interest from the Premier League leaders and big-spending Chelsea this month after an impressive spell on the south coast.

However, Sky Sports News report that a £60m bid from Arsenal was turned down because Brighton don’t want to sell one of their key players in January.

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That fee would represent a club record sale, beating the current high of £57m plus add-ons that took Marc Cucurella to Chelsea last summer.

Arsenal are said to be considering a second bid for the Ecuador international, who starred for his country at the World Cup at the end of last year.

West Ham captain Declan Rice is another name on the Gunners’ list of targets, but any deal will have to wait until the summer.

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Caicedo, 21, has another two-and-a-half years left on his Brighton contract and he doesn’t appear bothered by the speculation around his future.

"I am focused now on Brighton. I am here, I'm playing every day,” the Ecuadorian told The Argus.

"What happens outside doesn't trouble me, nor does it take the focus away because I'm focused only on here."

Arsenal are currently five points clear on top of the Premier League table at the midway stage of the season.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - JANUARY 03: Moises Caicedo of Brighton and Hove Albion on the ball during the Premier League match between Everton FC and Brighton & Hove Albion at Goodison Park on January 3, 2023 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Richard Selle

Image credit: Eurosport

But Mikel Arteta’s side are looking to reinforce their squad for a big title push in the run-in and have already signed one player from Brighton this month – winger Leandro Trossard.

Arsenal also brought in Poland international defender Jakub Kiwior from Spezia to add depth to Arteta’s options at the back.

Caicedo joined Brighton from Independiente del Valle in his homeland in February 2021 and spent the first half of the 2021-22 campaign on loan with Belgian side Beerschot.

He has been a key player for Brighton this season, firstly under Graham Potter and then under his successor Roberto De Zerbi, making 21 appearances in all competitions and scoring one goal.

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