Moises Caicedo is one of the most sought-after midfielders in the world, with Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United all being credited with interest in the Ecuadorian sensation. As a result, Brighton, his current employers, are set to lose him this summer transfer window.
However, while the South American talent is expected to leave the Amex, his departure won't come cheap. One of the biggest questions surrounding Moises has been his price tag and while there were claims that a deal could be completed for £80M total ($102M), a new report from the Telegraph states otherwise.
According to the aforementioned British news outlet, the Seagulls are set to demand more than £100M (north of $128M) for the 21-year-old. Brighton are using Declan Rice as the benchmark, with the West Ham captain set to leave the Hammers for Arsenal for a whopping £105M (roughly $134M) in total, with only £5M being add-ons.
Despite the difference in age and experience, Roberto de Zerbi's side see Moises as a comparable player to Rice and will thus demand a fee in the same ballpark. This could be problematic for both Chelsea and Arsenal as the Gunners are unlikely to spend £100M+ for a second player in the same window while the Blues have already dished out a nine-figure transfer fee for a player earlier this year in the form of Enzo Fernandez.
This could explain why Arsenal's interest in the player has never materialized into an actual bid following their failed attempt to sign the Ecuadorian back in January. While Edu and Co. can back out of a Caicedo pursuit due to the inevitable arrival of Rice, Pochettino's side are in a desperate situation as the exits of N'Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben-Loftus Cheek, and Jorginho have left them extremely light in midfield.
The two-time Champions League winners need to provide Enzo Fernandez with an adequate partner and it will be interesting to see how this transfer saga unfolds given that Chelsea are the only ones in negotiations for the player. Will Todd Boehly and Co. eventually budge and meet Brighton's asking price or will the Seagulls' valuation come down with time? Only time will tell.
