Brighton CEO has already told Liverpool how they can sign Moises Caicedo ahead of Chelsea

Liverpool have made an approach for Moises Caicedo - although no official bid has been tabled to Brighton and Hove Albion so far.

The Reds have hit an impasse in their attempt to prise Romeo Lavia to Anfield.

Southampton have rebuffed three bids, with the latest being around £46 million. What’s more, Chelsea have since tabled £48 million for Lavia as they too aim to bolster their engine room.

With Liverpool in need of replacing Fabinho and Jordan Henderson, they have now made contact with Brighton over Caicedo.

While Jurgen Klopp’s men have yet to make an offer, they’ll be aware that luring the Ecuador international away from the south coast won’t be cheap. Chelsea have already had four offers - culminating at £80 million - turned down this summer.

Certainly, the Seagulls have been steadfast in their approach when it comes to Caicedo. The Seagulls have built up a reputation for being shrewd operators in the transfer market under owner Tony Bloom and chief executive Paul Barber.

The 21-year-old established himself as one of the best holding midfielders in the Premier League last season as Brighton secured a record sixth-placed finish in the Premier League. Caicedo was close to joining Arsenal in the January transfer window before a move hit the buffers - and he surprisingly then signed a new deal at the AMEX Stadium.

But a departure from the south coast has been highly expected throughout the summer transfer window.

Speaking to Sky Sports earlier this week, Barber admitted that Caicedo has become somewhat unsettled by the speculation surrounding his future.

And while Brighton have their asset tied down to a long-term deal, he hinted that the club are ‘realistic’ - hinting they know the price they’re willing to sell for.

Barber said: "For a young player like Moises at 21, he’s probably one of the best midfield players in the world already at his age, and we’ve had a fantastic time working with him. And we want it to continue, we’ve got him under a long contract. We’re also realistic to know there is interest in him.

"As a young man, that interest is inevitably going to have an impact on your thought process and unsettle you a little bit. We understand that. But for now, he’s a Brighton player, he’s under contract. We expect him to work hard, prepare for the new season and we’ll see what happens as the window goes on.”

A price tag of £100 million has been mooted for Caicedo. That would mean that Liverpool have to pay a record transfer fee - some £25 million more than what they splashed out on Virgil van Dijk.