Moises Caicedo’s agent has revealed the crucial reason why the midfielder held out for a move to Chelsea this summer, despite Liverpool first agreeing terms with Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Ecuadorian quickly rose to prominence in the Premier League after making his debut in April 2022, establishing himself as a key figure in Brighton’s midfield.
His sudden rise saw Arsenal and Chelsea attempt to sign him in January 2023, but Brighton knocked back all offers and were determined to keep him until the end of the season, despite Caicedo’s pleas to grant an exit.
Though he signed a new contract at the Amex Stadium in March 2023, Caicedo was again the subject of heavy transfer interest in the summer. Chelsea made fresh attempts to acquire him, while Liverpool also entered the race.
Chelsea saw several eight-figure bids knocked back, with the Seagulls holding out for a fee in the region of the £105m paid by Arsenal for West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice.
Liverpool then blew Chelsea out of the water with a British-record £111m bid which was accepted by Brighton, but Caicedo resisted the Reds’ approach and he would soon complete a £115m move to the Blues.
Speaking to Ecuadorian channel Football sin Cassette, Caicedo’s agent, Manuel Sierra, explained how these two transfer sagas unfolded and why his client was so determined to join Chelsea.
“What happened is that in January [Chelsea] couldn’t pay,” he began. “They couldn’t go crazy because they had to go with one or the other, they couldn’t sign both [Enzo Fernandez and Caicedo] and I didn’t know what Brighton were going to ask for. Brighton were not going to sell even for £1bn.