Chelsea agree British record fee of £115 million for Moises Caicedo despite late Liverpool bid - reports

Chelsea have reportedly reached an agreement with Brighton to sign midfielder Moises Caicedo for a British record fee of £115 million.

The Blues are understood to have surpassed Liverpool’s record £111m bid made on Friday, and look to have finally secured their man after chasing the Ecuador international over a long period of time this summer.

It looked like the 21-year-old would be heading to Merseyside in a dramatic late twist, but Caicedo’s preference was reportedly a move to Stamford Bridge.

The Seagulls had lived up to their reputation of being tricky negotiators, having rejected a series of offers from Chelsea, who will now break the British record for a second time in 2023.

Enzo Fernandez arrived from Benfica in January for £107m, as Todd Boehly continues his hugely expensive revamp of the squad.

Caicedo now looks set to complete his west London move, but is understood to have still not yet had his medical. It is reported that a series of add-ons and a sell-on clause have also been included in the deal.

Brighton head coach Roberto Di Zerbi issued a defiant message in his press conference on Friday, as he prepares for a future without the Ecuadorian.

He said: "I've already forgotten Moises. I'm really proud of the players we have in the squad.

"We have to complete the squad. We want to improve the squad because we lost Mac Allister, Colwill, maybe we lose Caicedo, but we have to be ready.

"When players leave it's because they played well, but the credit goes to the players, the club and the coaches. The big clubs can buy the players, but they can't buy our soul and spirit. That's not on the market when they leave."

Caicedo arrived at Brighton from Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle for just £4m in February 2021, but was not thrust straight into the team by then-boss Graham Potter.

He was sent out on loan to Belgian side Beerschot ahead of the 2021/22 season, before returning halfway through the campaign in January.

After firmly establishing himself as a first-team regular, Caicedo would go onto make 43 appearances across all competitions in 2022/23 and won the club’s men’s player of the season award.

This was despite asking to leave in January, with Arsenal hoping to lure the midfielder to the Emirates and enhance their Premier League title push.

However, a move to north London did not materialise as Caicedo penned a new four-year deal back in March.

But there was little expectation that the midfielder would see out the contract, in what many will view as a masterstroke from Tony Bloom to make Caicedo more expensive for potential suitors.

It has been another busy summer for Chelsea, who have already bolstered their ranks with the arrivals of Axel Disasi, Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson, Lesley Ugochukwu, Angelo Gabriel, Robert Sanchez [also from Brighton] and Diego Moreira.

Disasi scored on his competitive debut for the club in an opening day 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Sunday.

- - -

TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Heineken Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media