Chelsea handed boost as target’s price tag is slashed

Chelsea face Manchester City for the second time in four days on Sunday as they visit The Etihad in the fourth round of the FA Cup. 

The Blues were narrowly beaten by the reigning champions in their Premier League clash on Thursday evening, and many of the club’s supporters will be hoping that Graham Potter gives his younger players another chance to impress.

The likes of Carney Chukwuemeka, Lewis Hall and Conor Gallagher were all impressive at Stamford Bridge last time out, while on-loan midfielder Denis Zakaria was once again on fine form.

The Switzerland international’s performances may tempt Chelsea into making his stay in London permanent, with The Blues’ midfield situation looking increasingly desperate.

Both N’Golo Kante and Jorginho are set to be out of contract next summer, while Mateo Kovacic’s recent injury record will worry Potter.

With that in mind, Chelsea have been monitoring Brighton and Hove Albion’s Moises Caicedo, and they have now been handed a boost in their pursuit of him.

According to The Mirror, The Seagulls have slashed their asking price for the Ecuador international.

Caicedo looks set for a big money move

It was initially reported that Brighton were demanding as much as £85 million for the midfielder, but the new report claims that Caicedo’s current club could be tempted to sell him for as little as £65 million plus add-ons.

The 21-year-old has been in sensational form for Brighton since making his debut for the club last season.

Caicedo has now made 29 appearances for The Seagulls, and his performances have attracted interest from a number of clubs including Chelsea, Newcastle United and Liverpool.

The report claims that The Reds are in a good position to land the player if he does depart The Amex this month, despite the midfielder’s links with both Chelsea and Newcastle.

Current Blues boss Potter was in charge of Brighton when Caicedo joined the club and it was the Englishman that gave him his debut, while former Brighton head of recruitment Paul Winstanley is also now at Stamford Bridge.

Dan Ashworth – ex-Brighton technical director – is also now working at Newcastle, although he was thought to be instrumental in agreeing the deal that took Caicedo from Independiente del Valle to the south coast in 2021.

Caicedo featured in all three of Ecuador’s games at the World Cup in Qatar, scoring his first goal in the competition during their 2-1 defeat to Senegal.