Moises Caicedo is a name that has popped up several times over the past year surrounding Liverpool midfield vows and possible prospects of filling them. But the chase for the Ecuadorian is a difficult one;
It is no wonder that Arsenal wanted to sign him in the winter transfer window and Chelsea were very much in the race as well with laying groundwork for his signature. After Brighton’s reluctance to sell then – Caicedo has been linked with a move to multiple Premier League clubs. Roberto De Zerbi has also openly said that there is little to no chance of him staying at the Amex next season.
Since the start of the transfer window, an eventual deal with Chelsea remained on the cards but the deal keeps getting delayed. A deal with Arsenal is no longer in the books as they have secured the signature of the West Ham captain, Declan Rice in a monumental £105 Million move, a British record in transfer history.
LIVERPOOL & ANY PROBABLES OF SECURING CAICEDO
Born in Ecuador, the 21-year-old is the youngest of his 10 siblings coming from humble beginnings. Caicedo has always been highly regarded which prompted Brighton to make a move for him at a time where Manchester United were also said to be in the race. He has lived up to the credentials and beyond for Brighton, playing as a defensive mid he reported an xg of 1.21 goals and 2.42 assists – and also boasts an impressive 89 percentage of pass completion rate complemented by 80% rate of successful tackles.
Liverpool have also been under the spotlight for doing very decent business in the ongoing transfer market but are more recently come under criticism owing to the potential departures of club captain Jordan Henderson and faithful servant Fabinho, who was a very much experienced CDM for Liverpool. Fabinho has also not travelled with the club for their camp in Germany indicating that the Brazilian’s departure is very close.
With Bajcetic still very young and potential target Lavia not considered the proper replacement for Fabinho but rather a backup due to his inexperience, the Merseyside clubs have now turned their attention towards the Ecuadorian.
Being valued at 80 million since January, Brighton’s owner has said that with Declan Rice being priced at £105 million, Caicedo must be at least £100 million. With Liverpool’s reluctance to spend big on the market for one player very much known this remains to be seen whether this surprise transfer will take place or not.
Alexis Mac Allister is someone Liverpool got on the cheap with a reported fee of around £35 million which is significantly lower than his market value. This steal happened owing to a certain clause in his contract. A clause that is according to reports is also in Caicedo’s contract for clubs competing in the Champions League. It remains to be seen whether Liverpool will go big or will leverage the good business relationship they have with Brighton into a conclusive deal.
Caicedo will be the perfect replacement for Fabinho in case he signs, not only being a great defensive midfielder who is excellent at cutting lanes but he can also shift to the right back position in any case if Alexander Arnold goes towards the middle of the pitch.
Liverpool still needs to bring in at least two new midfielders, though Caicedo is a brilliant option it seems very unlikely that Liverpool would pay such a huge amount to bring him to Anfield having already spent a combined total of £95 million to bring Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.
Negotiations are far from happening and it is reported that the player would very much like to join Chelsea. The deal is currently in advanced stages (it has always been so though) as he has agreed to personal terms with the London club according to Italian Journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Beyond Moises, Romeo Lavia looks very likely to join Liverpool before the end of the transfer window, and Aurélien Tchouaméni was also linked but the player has himself dismissed these rumors.
