Roberto De Zerbi reportedly promised Moises Caicedo that he’d be allowed to leave Brighton this summer if a good offer were to come in for him.
De Zerbi fought to keep Caicedo during the January transfer window, but in doing so, he supposedly made a pact with the Ecuador international that he would allow him to get his big move away if the opportunity were to arise again this summer.
That’s according to Fabrizio Romano in the tweet below, with the reporter explaining that Caicedo is still on Chelsea’s radar, while there may be other clubs in the race for the 21-year-old’s signature as well…
Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi told Moises Caicedo in January to stay at the club until June despite huge bids… and then promised to sell him in the summer in case of good proposal ??? #BHAFC
Pact will be respected; Chelsea are still keen on Caicedo but it’s 3 clubs race. pic.twitter.com/fwWq1DBYp7
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 30, 2023
Romano only named Chelsea, but the Times have previously linked Caicedo as a target for Arsenal, so it seems like it’ll be worth watching out for the Gunners in the weeks and months ahead.
Caicedo surely won’t come cheap, however, with Sky Sports reporting earlier this month that the Seagulls would likely ask for £70million or more for their star midfield player.
Arsenal would surely have the edge over Chelsea due to being in the Champions League, but the Blues have also been big spenders under their current owners, so we can probably expect more ambitious deals from them again in the upcoming transfer window.