Chelsea make £80m Moises Caicedo decision as Man Utd express Mason Mount frustration

Chelsea are expected to step up their interest in Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo once several outgoings have been finalised.

The 21-year-old is set to leave Brighton this summer, should a suitable offer be made, after an agreement was made between the parties after Caicedo extended his contract in March.

With Chelsea set to lose Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Kai Havertz, and Mason Mount being the subject of three rejected bids from Manchester United, Mauricio Pochettino’s side are looking to bring in another midfielder of their own.

They lost out on Manuel Ugarte to Paris Saint-Germain and Caicedo is now their number one target, however he will come at a substantial cost.

Arsenal and Man United have also been linked with the Ecuador international but it’s Chelsea who are leading the race and expected to land his signature.

Brighton’s asking price for Caicedo has varied; some reports have stated they value him at £100 million, while others have claimed £80 million is the more realistic valuation. Chelsea have already had a £60 million bid rejected.

As reported by Gary Jacob of The Times, Chelsea are not prepared to pay another massive sum to land Caicedo, with it stated that ‘they will not meet the asking price of more than £80 million’ for the Brighton midfielder.

On the ‘Here We Go’ podcast, Fabrizio Romano was coy on the Caicedo deal, admitting that outgoings need to be finalised before new signings can be acquired.

He said: “Relax, enjoy the outgoings.”

In terms of outgoings, N’Golo Kante has already departed for Al-Ittihad. Kovacic and Havertz are expected to complete their moves to Manchester City and Arsenal respectively this week. Ruben Loftus-Cheek is close to a move to AC Milan, according to reports in Italy.

Meanwhile, Mason Mount is wanted by Manchester United, who have had three bids rejected for the 24-year-old, with the latest being turned down over the weekend.

The last offer was £55 million and United insisted it would be their final offer, refusing to be involved in a summer-long transfer saga.

Now Jason Burt of The Telegraph reports Man United feel there is no need to hold face-to-face talks with Chelsea, who countered with a £58 million plus £7 million in add-ons bid and to meet in-person to resolve the matter.

United have reportedly ‘taken a very dim view of Chelsea’s negotiations’ and believe they are being unreasonable in their demands due to Mount not planning to sign a new contract – his current deal expires next summer.