Moises Caicedo transfer would see Chelsea hand over more than £200million to Brighton since last summer
Chelsea will have handed over more than £200million to Brighton should they be successful in their pursuit of Moises Caicedo. The Blues forked out more than £600m last season under their new owners, and they have already splashed out around £156m on new players so far this summer. Mauricio Pochettino has wasted no time in strengthening his squad, with Christopher Nkunku, Axel Disasi, Nicolas Jackson, Lesley Chimuanya, and Angelo all brought in. Their spending spree shows no signs of stopping down, with Brighton, who have benefited from Chelsea’s lavish purchases, set to pocket even more.
Chelsea’s first purchase of a Brighton player under the Todd Boehly-led consortium was Spanish defender Marc Cucurella. He arrived on a deal rising to £60m, though the 25-year-old is yet to fully justify his high price tag. The ex-Getafe full-back was then joined by his former mentor a few months later. Following the shock sacking of Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter was hired in September 2022 after his £20m release clause was activated. In total, Chelsea paid Brighton £22m in compensation for Potter and his coaching staff team of Bruno Saltor, Kyle Macaulay, Paul Winstanley, Ben Roberts, and Bjorn Hamberg. But it proved to be money not well spent, as Potter was axed in April having won just 12 out of his 31 games in all competitions.
And Chelsea have spent the majority of this summer in talks with Brighton. An initial £20m deal – rising to £25m – has been agreed between the two clubs for goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. But the one player they really want is Ecuador international Caicedo, with Chelsea having multiple bids turned down for the 21-year-old. talkSPORT understands that the Blues’ latest offer came in at £80m after having proposals of £60m, £65m, and £70m knocked back. It is believed Brighton are standing firm on their £100m valuation and will not entertain offers that fall below their asking price. And Chelsea know they will have quick to close a potential deal with an unnamed club joining them in the race to nab the youngster. But should Chelsea be successful in landing the £100m-rated player, it would see them paying Brighton around £212m in just one year – providing Sanchez’s bonuses are met.
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Chelsea’s reported £36m bid for Ecuadorian youngster Moises Caicedo would see the Blues’ total spend to Brighton and Hove Albion amount to over £200m since last summer.
The reports this week of a potential deal for the 19-year-old midfielder has reignited speculation around the Londoners’ hefty investment in the Seagulls, with the club already having parted with significant sums of money for Ben White, Tariq Lamptey, and most recently, Danny Welbeck.
Brighton have reportedly rejected Chelsea’s initial offer for Caicedo, with the Seagulls valuing the teenager at around £50m. However, if it is eventually decided that Chelsea will have to part with the higher fee, it would see the club’s net spend on Brighton reach a remarkable figure.
After the £35m purchase of centre-back White last summer, the Blues went on to sign Lamptey for around £30m in January with the club’s record-breaking investment eventually culminating in the January arrival of former Arsenal striker Welbeck for a reported fee of £6m.
The significance of Chelsea’s financial strength compared to the relatively mini-budget of Brighton was illustrated on deadline day this month when the Blues were able to swoop in for the former England forward whilst the Seagulls were almost helpless against the move.
Therefore, if Caicedo does eventually move to Stamford Bridge, it will represent yet another feather in the cap of Chelsea’s spending power, illustrating the discrepancy in financial power between the two parties.
Whether the bid goes ahead or not, it is clear that Chelsea are treading lightly in their investment of the Brighton club and can expect the south coast side to drive a hard bargain to extract the utmost value from the Premier League giants.