Brighton & Hove Albion continue to dig their heels in after rejecting a transfer bid from Chelsea for the most in-demand Premier League midfielder per Sky Sports. The Seagulls have already seen Alexis Mac Allister join Liverpool and have sanctioned departures for Leandro Trossard, Yves Bissouma, and Marc Cucurella in the past year proving that they would be willing to negotiate if the fee matches their valuation of the player.
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Chelsea Offer Rejected for Elite Midfielder
Chelsea Looking To Reinforce Midfield
It has been a wild year in London regarding transfers since Todd Boehly purchased the club in May 2022. The club has spent over £700 million on transfer fees in that time. The likes of Enzo Fernandez, Wesley Fofana, and Mykhaylo Mudryk have signed for massive fees as Boehly looks to build a side capable of dominating for the foreseeable future.
However, it has been a mini disaster so far as the club finished the Premier League season in 12th place. Three managers left the club during the 2022/23 campaign, all struggling to cope with choosing a consistent starting eleven as the squad became bloated due to the sheer number of signings in the previous two windows. Thiago Silva stated the dressing room needed to be expanded to make space for all the new arrivals.
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Mauricio Pochettino has taken charge and will relish the chance to work with a squad that despite struggling thus far, is brimming with potential. The only major gaping hole in the squad is in central midfield. The Blues have so far sanctioned the departures of N’Golo Kante, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mateo Kovacic, and Mason Mount leaving just Fernandez and Conor Gallagher as senior options in the middle.
The duo are just 22 and 23 years old respectively. Their new manager has a preference for an attacking 4-3-3 formation, meaning at least one more top-quality midfielder will be required for a starting role.
It is, therefore, no surprise that Chelsea have submitted a bid for Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo. The 21-year-old Ecuador international is regarded by many as the best defensive midfield player in the Premier League at present.
He was second in the league for most tackles last season with 100, behind Fulham’s Joao Palhinha. There is very little weakness to Caicedo’s defensive game, as emphasized when he stepped in at right back for Brighton on a couple of occasions last season. His quality has seen him considered as one of “Europe’s elite midfielders”.
It is well known of his desire to play at the highest level, he recently spoke out on how difficult it would be to ‘say no’ to a club like Chelsea. Christopher Nkunku has joined from Leipzig and has experience playing in an attack-minded midfield role, but he may well be needed further forward as relying on fellow new signing Nicolas Jackson, who failed a medical at Bournemouth in January, would be a risky play.
Brighton Under No Pressure to Sell
As mentioned previously, The Seagulls have recently let some of their top players leave on their terms. However, Brighton have shown they are capable of digging their heels in as they rejected all approaches from Arsenal for the midfielder in January. The club was insistent that they would not be losing him mid-season and so no deal could be complete.
Speaking after the final game of the Premier League season, club manager De Zerbi was resigned to losing both Mac Allister and Caicedo: “I think it can be the last game for Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo at Brighton” he stated after the defeat to Aston Villa.
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Brighton have picked up former Liverpool veteran James Milner and Mahmoud Dahoud from Borussia Dortmund on free transfers this summer to reinforce the midfield after Mac Allister’s departure.
The Seagulls may have signed Dahoud, who can play as a holding midfielder, with Caicedo’s transfer to Chelsea in mind. Declan Rice’s record-breaking move to Arsenal has set a benchmark price for top-quality midfielders in the Premier League this summer and the club may be holding out for a fee closer to that figure.
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