Brighton have rejected another bid from Chelsea worth £80m, for the playmaker Moises Caicedo who in March signed a new contract running to 2027.
Subscribe to Switch TV for more exciting content
Caicedo who is 21 years of age, travelled with Roberto de Zerbi’s squad in New Jersey, where they are set to play Newcastle on Friday.
Read Also: Gor Mahia’s Omala Open to Interest from South African Giants
Brighton are understood to have rejected the revised offer instantly and are said to be committed to keeping the Ecuador international.
Caicedo is termed to be one of Chelsea’s long-term transfer targets and two bids have been previously rejected.
However, Brighton and Chelsea last year agreed for the bidding rose above £60m for defender Marc Cucurella.
Brighton boss De Zerbi last week confirmed that he was planning to have Caicedo in his squad for next season.
Read Also: Joselu scores bicycle kick for Real Madrid, Chelsea, Barca, Arsenal, Man-Utd
The player was a key component in the side that finished sixth in the Premier League last season, securing a Europa League group-stage spot.
Caicedo asked to leave Brighton in January amid interest from Arsenal.
Caicedo deal more expensive or is the Enzo Fernandez partnership ending?
“The Enzo Fernandez situation is interesting here. If you’re Brighton, you look at what Chelsea did with Enzo and say, ‘Hang on, you paid a fortune for him and he hadn’t had an established track record in European football’.
“Yes, he was a very good, exceptional player and played very well in the Champions League for Benfica but it was a pretty small sample size. So they’ll probably say, ‘If you were prepared to pay that, you should pay it for Caicedo’.”
It is thought Chelsea were getting encouragement that the 21-year-old would join them if a deal can be agreed between the clubs, with personal terms not expected to be a problem.
Read also: Kenya looking beyond AFCON with Stadium Renovations
It is now a pick and choice for Chelsea who are now deciding whether to go back in with an improved offer or turn their attention to other targets.
Brighton signed Moises Caicedo from Ecuadorian club Independiente del Valle for £4.5m in 2021.
Subscribe to Switch TV for more exciting content
The 21-year-old is now valued at around £100m by the south-coast club; Brighton rejected two bids for the midfielder from Arsenal in January, rejected a £70m Chelsea offer last week
