Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi says he is planning for next season with Moises Caicedo in his squad.
Chelsea have seen bids of £60m and £70m rejected this summer as the sides prepare to meet for a pre-season friendly in Philadelphia on Saturday as part of the Premier League’s brand new Summer Series.
Sources have told CaughtOffside that Caicedo is “extremely disappointed” a move hasn’t happened yet but De Zerbi is still hoping to keep the Ecuadorian midfielder at the club.
“At the moment Moises is a Brighton player,” he said. “I spoke with [club owner] Tony Bloom and he told me if the conditions don’t change then Moises stays with us.
“I don’t know how the situation will end. It’s a clear situation at the moment. He stays with us until my owner changes his mind. I don’t know what will happen in the future, but if Moises leaves we have to find the right player because it’s difficult to replace a player as good as Moises.”
Caicedo only recently signed a new four-year extension in February with Brighton with a further club option of an additional year. But those close to Caicedo reveal in doing so he was verbally promised he could leave should a reasonable offer arrive this summer. However, De Zerbi denies he personally gave such direct assurances.
“It is not true,” he said. “I am the coach, not the owner or sporting director. In my work, I am used to speaking with my players every day, but I didn’t give my word for nothing.
“You have to speak with Tony [Bloom] not with me [to see] if Moises wants to leave. He extended his contract in February and now we are in July, so after five months I don’t know if he can change his idea. In case he wants to leave, and in case Tony sells him, we have to find the best player for us.”
One complicating factor in talks for Caicedo is Brighton want to sign Chelsea centre-back Levi Colwill and have already seen a £30m bid rejected.
Chelsea’s stance is that Colwill is not for sale, but Brighton still aren’t ruling out bringing the England U-21 international back to the club.
Colwill has had a one-on-one with new Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino to discuss the season ahead and is keen for instant game time to give himself the best possible chance of selection for Euro 2024 since England manager Gareth Southgate has made it clear he’s in his thinking.
“I am proud of Levi because he showed his quality with the national team [at the U-21 Euros this summer] and I am very happy for him,” said De Zerbi. “I love him but he is not our player. And there are two questions. Not only about Caicedo, but also about Colwill, and maybe it can be [a swap].
“It’s not my work, the transfer market. My work is to stay on the pitch and to organise my players. But of course it’s better to work with great players and both are great players.”
Those close to Caicedo hope face-to-face talks in Philadelphia take place between Brighton and Chelsea to resolve his future, but for now Chelsea haven’t placed a third bid and if they do, they wish to stick closer to £80m than £100m.