Moises Caicedo’s transfer from Brighton & Hove Albion to Chelsea has now been completely agreed and will break the British transfer record, says journalist Fabrizio Romano.
The Blues have been pursuing the Ecuador international all summer and have now secured a deal to sign the 21-year-old for a British record €133 million (£115m). Brighton will also have a sell-on clause if Chelsea ever decide to sell.
Romano has reported that Caicedo will sign a deal that will terminate in June 2031, with the option of a further 12 months too. That has been backed up by The Athletic’s David Ornstein, who has reported that the Ecuadorian will undergo his Chelsea medical on Monday.
When the move is officially finalized, it will be the second time that Chelsea have broken the British transfer record in as many transfer windows after spending €121m to sign Enzo Fernandez from Benfica in January.
The Blues had long been considered the only team in the hunt for Caicedo – after Manchester City signed Mateo Kovacic, Manchester United signed Mason Mount and Arsenal signed Declan Rice – but Liverpool’s €127m (£111m) bid on Thursday night saw the Reds storm ahead in the race to land the midfielder.
That bid was accepted by Brighton, but Caicedo never had plans to join Liverpool and had his sights set on joining Chelsea.
Brighton had placed a £100m tag on Caicedo all window, with Chelsea attempting to negotiate a lower fee for weeks. However, Liverpool’s offer forced the west London club into action and they are now set to pay £15m more than the Seagulls’ original asking price.
He will become Mauricio Pochettino’s ninth summer signing after the arrivals of Christopher Nkunku, Axel Disasi, Nicolas Jackson, Lesley Ugochukwu, Robert Sanchez, Alex Matos and Diego Moreira.
Chelsea had hoped to unveil Caicedo during their Premier League game against Liverpool, but the deal was not completed in time and that dream was not possible.
The Ecuador international could have the chance to make his Blues debut against West Ham next Sunday.
The deal now looks set to be officially announced by the club within the next 24 hours.
