Revealed: How Moises Caicedo responded to series of Jurgen Klopp text messages
- Caicedo joined Chelsea for a British record fee of £115m earlier this summer
- Move came after Liverpool agreed a deal with Brighton first
- Ecuadorian midfielder ultimately rejected a move to Anfield
By Tom Gott
Moises Caicedo rejected a move to Liverpool this summer with a text message sent to manager Jurgen Klopp.
Despite being Chelsea's top midfield target, it was Liverpool who first agreed a £111m fee to sign the Ecuador international from Brighton & Hove Albion, with Klopp himself admitting a deal had been struck during a press conference.
Caicedo, however, had other ideas and ultimately rejected a move to Liverpool as he only had eyes for Chelsea, who had not yet agreed a fee with Brighton but eventually shook hands on a deal worth £115m.
According to The Athletic, that rejection actually came over text to manager Klopp, who had been messaging the midfielder to try and convince him to make the move.
It is said that Klopp sent a series of messages to Caicedo to try and convince the 21-year-old of his desire to work together, but Caicedo reply made it clear he did not want to move to Liverpool.
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The damage caused by Caicedo's phone was not finished there, however. The £115m man later sent a text to Romeo Lavia as he urged the Belgian to reject Liverpool's advances and follow him to Chelsea instead.
Caicedo's charm offensive was successful as Lavia rejected the chance to continue negotiations with Liverpool in favour of sealing a £58m move to Stamford Bridge.
The duo's dismissal of Liverpool saw Klopp forced to continue his search for midfield reinforcements elsewhere, with the shock signing of Japanese international Wataru Endo from Stuttgart completed soon after.
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