Spanish outlet Fichajes has revealed that Chelsea are ready to trump Liverpool with a £79m bid for Brighton & Hove Albion star Moises Caicedo as they look to replace N’Golo Kante.
Kante is in the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge and the 2018 World Cup winner has so far failed to agree terms on a new deal with the Blues. The Frenchman has been tipped to leave the club for free at the end of the season and join Spanish giants Barcelona.
Chelsea have therefore identified Ecuadorian midfielder Moises Caicedo as a potential replacement for Kante. Todd Boehly’s project at Chelsea is focused on building a young core, exemplified by their interest in Brazilian talent Endrick, who has now signed for Real Madrid.
Liverpool have also been linked with Caicedo in recent months so Chelsea could face competition for his signature. The 21-year-old is currently valued at £33 million (Transfermarkt) but Fichajes suggests that the Reds may be willing to pay up to £70m [€80m] to sign the Brighton star.
However, Chelsea are ready to trump their rivals as the report says the Blues are willing to pay up to £79m [€90m] for Caicedo’s signature.
Our View
Caicedo is one of the brightest midfield talents in Europe at the moment and impressed at the World Cup with Ecuador. However, £79 million sounds like a hugely inflated price for the South American.
While he has been excellent at Brighton during the past year and they may face competition from Liverpool, Chelsea should look to get the deal done at a significantly lower price.
If the West Londoners want to splash a huge fee on a midfielder, they could opt for Enzo Fernandez, who won the best young player with Argentina at the World Cup, or even Jude Bellingham.
It remains to be seen what Graham Potter decides but with an exciting project brewing at Stamford Bridge, it would be a surprise if Chelsea opt to spend anywhere near £79m on Caicedo when there are other more talented players available in that price bracket.
