To attempt to convince Brighton and Hove Albion to lower their asking price from £100 million, Moises Caicedo’s agents continue negotiations with the club.

The 21-year-old is getting more frustrated with Brighton’s unyielding position after Thursday’s rejection of Chelsea’s $102 million offer. In all, the Blues have made three offers for the player and all of them were rejected.

All three would have ensured a substantial return on investment for the $5.7 million that Brighton spent on the player in 2021. Chelsea might come back with a better offer, but they could also move on to other options.

Brighton don’t back down from high demands

After Caicedo’s public request to be allowed to go in January fell on deaf ears, he and his people are eager to handle the situation carefully out of respect for Brighton, as per The Times. Arsenal’s $77 million and $99 million offers were both turned down before they settled with Chelsea midfielder Jorginho.

The hefty price tag of $128 million is reportedly predicated on the fact that the midfielder still has four years remaining on the deal he signed in March. The Times adds Brighton see the particular transfer cost as the standard fee for central midfielders of the highest caliber when signing with leading Premier League teams.

This summer, Declan Rice made a switch from West Ham United to Arsenal in a deal valued at $134 million. In a similar high-profile move in January, Chelsea shelled out approximately $137 million to secure Enzo Fernandez from Benfica.

De Zerbi asked for new player in case of Caicedo exit

Caicedo participated in Brighton’s pre-season friendly against Brentford, which took place on Wednesday night in Atlanta. He was also on the field for 58 minutes during another friendly match against Newcastle United on Friday.

The Seagulls’ boss Roberto De Zerbi has previously expressed that should Caicedo be sold, they’ll need to find a suitable replacement for him: “If you asked me what I would like, I would like him to stay with us but it is not my work. My work is to tell my owner that if Caicedo leaves we need another big, important midfielder.”

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