The prolonged tale regarding Moises Caicedo’s future is at last drawing to a close, and it’s culminating with a shocking turn of events.
Liverpool had apparently swooped in the nick of time to steal Ecuador midfielder Moses Caicedo from Chelsea, setting a British record transfer fee in the process. Brighton had accepted the Reds’ offer of $140 million, as reported initially by Fabrizio Romano.
Caicedo was initially expected to officially join Liverpool today, according to Romano. Meanwhile, The Athletic’s David Ornstein has revealed that Jurgen Klopp’s side had outbid Chelsea, whose top offer was $127 million.
Chelsea had turbulent 24 hours
An official medical examination was scheduled for today, just in time to seal the deal before Liverpool’s new Premier League season kicks off. In response to a proposal from Chelsea for Romeo Lavia, the Anfield outfit had entered the bidding process late.
After setting Thursday night as the cutoff time for offers to be submitted for Moises Caicedo, Brighton declared the highest bidder the winner. The day went from looking good for the Blues to looking bad, as their fellow Premier League rivals emerged as the clear contenders for the player’s signature.
Up until today, that is, when Caicedo opted out of a medical at Liverpool in favor of joining Chelsea. The 21-year-old reportedly notified the Reds that he would rather join the London side. According to Romano, he opted to stick to his promise and choose Chelsea. He agreed personal terms with the Blues at the end of May.
Liverpool swooped in late, but…
With Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek all gone this summer, Chelsea spent it all targeting Caicedo. They had made little headway in the last several weeks. However, it seemed as if they would give in and eventually, meet the Seagulls’ demands.
It was evident that Liverpool had been waiting for this opportunity and was ready to pounce. After losing Fabinho to Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, they desperately needed a new defensive midfielder. However, they appear to be again out of the race, as there is talk of a second proposal from Chelsea in an effort to close a deal with Brighton.
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