Brighton boss gives verdict on Liverpool transfer target Moises Caicedo as £55m Chelsea bid rejected

Chelsea have seen their £55m opening bid for Brighton’s Moises Caicedo rejected, according to reports.

The midfielder has also been identified as a key target for Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, but Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi is eager to keep a keen grip on his player until the January transfer window closes.

De Zerbi said: “Moises Caicedo is very important for us. I hope he finishes the season with us, but it’s always difficult to be certain when big clubs come in.”

The news of Chelsea’s bid was confirmed by The Athletic’s David Ornstein, but the Seagulls are well versed in big clubs moving for their top performers.

Marc Cucurella, Leandro Trossard, Yves Bissouma and Ben White have all been sold in recent times, but the club has been famed for its incredible talent identification in replacing such players.

For Liverpool, it’s another example of the financial power that their rivals possess, with the Fenway Sports Group only allocating enough funds in January for the Reds to complete their £35m signing of PSV’s Cody Gakpo, whilst their midfield falls by the wayside.

With Caicedo performing brilliantly for Brighton this season as an energetic, tough-tackling and strong physical presence in the heart of midfield, it’s clear he could help improve Liverpool.

According to FBref, Caicedo outperforms Liverpool’s current crop of midfielders in key areas; he makes more tackles than Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Harvey Elliott per 90, wins more aerials duels than all of Liverpool’s midfield and has more non-penalty goals and non-penalty xG than Liverpool’s strongest midfield three of Henderson, Thiago and Fabinho. Plus, at 21 years old, he has plenty of room to develop.

He will continue to be a target for top clubs but Liverpool may miss out due to their inability to match the money fronted by Chelsea, who have taken their spending under Todd Boehly to over £450m in under six months.

Whilst Caicedo is a great option on the market for Liverpool, there are plenty of alternatives who are of a similar profile and age on a lower fee - such as Kouadio Kone from Borussia Monchengladbach.

What’s interesting to note is that Liverpool have tracked Caicedo since breaking through at Independiente del Valle in Ecuador, and whilst Liverpool don’t have a history of signing players that early on, it’s clear there is nothing wrong with their talent identification.

However, given Liverpool will undergo a midfield rebuild in the summer, it’s likely that a signing of an unknown player wouldn’t be accepted by the fans, especially considering the Jude Bellingham links. But given the likely fee that Caicedo will be sold for, Liverpool are looking increasing unlikely to sign the Brighton midfielder.