Chelsea finalise Caicedo deal as Arsenal pull out of race

By Fraser Fletcher, Transfer Correspondent

22nd Jun, 2023 | 5:23pm

Sources: Chelsea given green light to finalise Moises Caicedo deal as Arsenal pull out of race

Chelsea are keen to get the Moises Caicedo deal over the line and will push on with the deal once outgoings are secured, Sources have told Football Insider.

The Ecuador international has verbally agreed to the Blues’ contract offer and given the club the green light to what will be a huge-money move worth over £80million.

An official bid is now on the way from Chelsea as they look to selling multiple senior stars and make room for incomings while giving themselves much more freedom from FFP parameters.

The west London side are currently the only team in discussions and clear to complete a deal expected to exceed £80m.

However they are keen to nail down the 21-year-old with Premier League rivals watching the situation from a distance.

Arsenal have been long-term admirers but have pulled back from the race and switched focus to Declan Rice and Romeo Lavia, with the latter edging closer to joining up with Mikel Arteta’s side for next season.

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Man City are set to join the race for Declan Rice by submitting an official bid and the knock-on effect is that it is expected to push Chelsea to finalise Caicedo much faster with the fear of Arsenal potentially coming back in the race.

Nevertheless, Chelsea are in a comfortable position to complete the deal and are confident of doing so.

Brighton have been keen to seal a deal for defender Levi Colwill but Chelsea have flatly refused any offers for the player as he is key for their future.

Caicedo made 43 appearances for The Seagulls last season notching one goal and a single assist. He has been a key player for Brighton since his arrival in 2021 and has been capped 31 times by his country.

In other news, Chelsea now turn attention to third forward summer signing