Manchester United and Chelsea are interested in signing Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo but the Seagulls have just slapped a £100 million price on the 21-year-old.
Caicedo was one of the standout players in the Premier League this season and after Declan Rice, he is currently the most sought-after defensive midfielder. Now that Rice has agreed to join Arsenal, Moises Caicedo is the next best position available in the transfer market.
The interested teams were hoping that a fee of around £80-85 million will be enough to trigger a sale but Brighton has already lost Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool so their manager is not ready to let Caicedo leave for cheap.
Will Man United beat Chelsea to the signing of Moises Caicedo?
Moises Caicedo moved to England in 2021 and the 22/23 season was his first full campaign in the EPL but in just one season, the 21-year-old has grabbed the attention of all the big boys.
He’s being consistently linked with Chelsea and the midfielder, in a recent interview, has even admitted that he is relishing all the limelight and the pressure that comes in during the transfer window.
“It’s a very great emotion,” he told(h/t 90Min). “What guy wouldn’t want them to be talking about him?
“I know how to handle it. I don’t get carried away by emotions. I’m enjoying time with my family for now. There is pressure, but I am calm. I am waiting for whatever God decides. He will know what is best for me.”
Chelsea are said to be the favourites to land Moises Caicedo but according to The Guardian, Todd Boehly and co are not ready to shell out £100 million for the South American.
It’s being claimed that the two parties have been engaged in negotiations throughout this week but the Blues are not keen to change their stance.
Manchester United have also been linked with the midfielder and if Chelsea maintains this stance then it’s great news for the Red Devils.
McTominay and Donny van de Beek are going to leave this summer and according to the latest rumours, United are ready to offer a cash-plus-player deal for Moises Caicedo using Scott McTominay as a counterweight.
McTominay is valued at around £21 million which means a cash fee of around £75 million will be enough to bring Caicedo on board. Van de Beek will also be sold for another £10 million meaning Man United will have to pay the same fee they shelled for Mason Mount.
Brighton is in no hurry in selling the midfielder because his contract expires in 2027 and they will only let him go if a club pays their quoted figure. To be honest, we don’t think the Blues will pay so much after spending blindly during the January transfer window. They are selling players right now in order to balance their books so spending another £100 million will have to be a very calculated move.
Manchester United, on the other hand, have a bigger transfer budget because they are back in the Champions League and a net spend of around £60-65 million on someone like Moises Caicedo will be a great bit of business.
As things stand, Chelsea is still the favourite but there’s no way they will be able to land the midfielder if they don’t agree to pay up. On paper, if they miss out on Caicedo then it will be a big blow for the new manager but they do have Enzo Fernandes so it will not be the end of the world for them. However, they do need to sign defensive-minded midfielders this summer because they have lost both Kante and Mateo Kovacic.
