Chelsea have completed the signing of Moises Caicedo, ending one of the most slow-moving transfer sagas of recent times.
Caicedo was established as our top target months ago, with Declan Rice and Manuel Ugarte off the market. Since then it’s been a grinding war of attrition, with Brighton holding out for £100m and Chelsea starting their bidding around £60m.
In the end, it took late intervention from Liverpool to blow the whole thing open. The Reds came in and were willing to pay what Brighton wanted, forcing Chelsea to boost their offer to an incredible British football record £115m, with add-ons included.
That proved enough to get the deal done quickly, and Caicedo has signed today in time to train and be ready to start this Sunday when we play West Ham. The Ecuador star gets his dream move, Chelsea get their ideal midfielder, and Brighton get a phenomenal lump of cash – again.
The 21 year old signs a mammoth 8 year deal with the option to add a ninth.
Our sporting directors had the following to say about their biggest move so far on the club website:
“Moises has proved himself as a standout player in European football over the past 18 months, and we are thrilled to add him to Mauricio Pochettino’s squad.
“Moises possesses a rare midfield skill set and is a player we’ve been targeting for some time. We believe he will make a significant impact at Stamford Bridge this season – and in the years ahead.”
Chelsea should have signed him months ago and saved themselves £15,000,000 plus.Although he is a excellent signing Chelsea should really take note the next player they want to sign.