Chelsea really think they can sign £60k-a-week PL star, have already held talks over getting him

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Chelsea are now said to be optimistic about signing Moises Caicedo from Brighton after failing in their attempts to buy Manuel Ugarte from Sporting CP.

The Blues have missed out on the Uruguay international to PSG after the French giants offered the South American a higher salary.

Now – however – Chelsea’s interest in Moises Caicedo appears to be hotting up as a result.

What’s the story?

Well – according to the Evening Standard – Chelsea are now optimistic about signing the Ecuador international, and have already held talks with Brighton.

The 21-year-old was mentioned in discussions between Chelsea and Brighton after the Seagulls made a £30m bid to sign Levi Colwill.

Roberto De Zerbi is determined to keep the England Under-21 international at the Amex Stadium after his stunning 2022/23 campaign on loan with the Seagulls.

However, Mauricio Pochettino is said to view Colwill as a key part of his plans, with the Argentine even keen to get the 20-year-old tied down to a new contract, according to The Times.

Therefore, it will be interesting to see how Chelsea negotiate a deal for Caicedo while also refusing to sell Colwill to Brighton.

Nevertheless, the Blues remain confident about signing the Ecuadorian despite the apparent complexity of getting a deal done.

How much Caicedo could cost Chelsea

The Evening Standard add that Caicedo could end up costing Chelsea more than £80m this summer.

Brighton managed to negotiate a contract extension with their No.25 back in March following a bid from Arsenal in January, taking his salary up to £60,000-a-week after the wonderkid pushed hard to join the Gunners.

However, De Zerbi has already been vocal about the likelihood of Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister leaving Brighton this summer, so it doesn’t seem as if that new contract has changed anything regarding his desire to leave.

Another midfield target for Chelsea is Romeo Lavia, with talkSPORT claiming that the Blues are keen to sign the Belgian as well as Caicedo after missing out on Ugarte.

Be sure to keep an eye on developments at Stamford Bridge, as anything could happen this summer.