Brighton & Hove Albion 'want more than £100m for Chelsea-linked Moises Caicedo'

Following a number of midfield departures, Chelsea need to strengthen in the middle of the park ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.

N'Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have joined Al-Ittihad and AC Milan respectively, while Mateo Kovacic has completed a move to the reigning European Champions Manchester City.

Mauricio Pochettino lost another midfielder on Wednesday, as academy graduate Mason Mount made the switch to fellow Premier League club Manchester United.

Chelsea are hoping to sign a defensive midfielder that can play alongside Enzo Fernandez, and Caicedo has been identified as their primary target.

According to The Telegraph, Brighton have indicated that they will demand a fee in excess of £100m to part ways with Caicedo.

The report claims that Declan Rice's impending transfer to Arsenal has set a benchmark, which has influenced Brighton's valuation.

The Gunners have reportedly reached a full agreement with West Ham United over a transfer worth up to £105m for the England international.

With Caicedo three years younger than Rice, the Seagulls believe that they should be setting a similar asking price.

Brighton rejected two offers from Arsenal for Caicedo in the January transfer window, including a bid worth around £70m.

After failing to push through a move to the Emirates Stadium, the Ecuador international put pen to paper on a new Brighton contract until June 2027 with an option for a further year.

With at least four years remaining on his current contract, Brighton are left in a strong position when it comes to negotiating a transfer fee.

Caicedo played a pivotal role in the Brighton midfield last season, helping his side qualify for the Europa League and reach the FA Cup semi-finals.

During the 2022-23 campaign, he made a total of 43 appearances across all competitions, chipping in with one goal and one assist.