Chelsea refusing to give up on Moises Caicedo despite Liverpool agreement
- Liverpool have agreed a British record £111m fee to sign Caicedo
- Chelsea have not yet bid above £80m
- Caicedo's preference was to join Chelsea before the fee was agreed
Chelsea are refusing to give up their pursuit of Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo, 90min understands, despite seeing Liverpool agree a fee for the Ecuador international.
The Blues failed with an £80m offer and were considering returning with a bid closer to Brighton's £100m asking price when Liverpool swooped in and agreed a British record deal worth £111m to sign the 21-year-old.
Nothing has been signed between Brighton and Liverpool, however, and sources have confirmed to 90min that Chelsea are refusing to accept defeat in the race.
Chelsea have informed Caicedo's representatives that they are prepared to battle to try and sign the midfielder and will not give up hope until he has put pen to paper on a deal with Liverpool.
As it stands, Chelsea have not made a new bid for Caicedo, with Liverpool the only side to have seen an offer accepted.
Before Liverpool's offer arrived, 90min understood that Caicedo's preference was to join Chelsea this summer, with the midfielder repeatedly making it clear to Brighton that he wanted to be allowed to speak to the Blues.
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Caicedo has not yet travelled to Merseyside for a scheduled medical, 90min further understands, and Chelsea are using the time to try and work on a solution.
Brighton are hoping to sell Caicedo to the highest bidder and wasted little time in accepting Liverpool's offer, which was significantly higher than any proposal put forward until now by Chelsea.
The two clubs, who ironically meet in their opening Premier League fixture on Sunday, have also butted heads over Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia. The Reds failed with three bids for the Belgian, the last of which was worth £46m, before Chelsea arrived with an offer of £48m. Southampton value Lavia at £50m and are not prepared to compromise on their price.
Where Caicedo ends up remains to be seen, but the twists and turns of the transfer have made it one of the most fascinating sagas of what's been an extraordinary window to date.
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