The noise surrounding a possible move to Chelsea for Moises Caicedo continues, but Brighton and Hove Albion manager, Roberto De Zerbi, is attempting to distance himself from the incessant chatter.
It’s clear that the Blues aren’t giving up just yet, though the Seagulls, to their credit, are holding firm in terms of the price that they want to get for their man.
Not selling him to the west Londoners is still an option that’s open to them too, and that option would surely be preferred by Brighton’s inventive and attack-minded manager.
Having turned down an £80m bid for their player already, Brighton are clearly in the box seat in the Caicedo negotiations at this stage.
However, De Zerbi, whilst not involving himself in those negotiations, knows that there’s a chance his player will still get his move to Stamford Bridge.
“If Caicedo leaves, we will bring another big player. If Caicedo stays with us, I will be very happy,” he said in a recent press conference, detailed by the Daily Mail.
“But it’s not my job to decide who leaves and who comes [to the club]. It’s not my problem, the transfer market.”
With two weeks left until the start of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign, it would clearly be best for all concerned if a definitive decision is made.
Brighton appear not to want to let Caicedo go on the cheap and Chelsea appear unwilling to pay too much.
That in itself may set the alarm bells ringing from the player’s point of view, given that if the west Londoners were so set on bringing Caicedo in, surely they would accede to Brighton’s wishes in terms of a fee.