The end of a long summer soap opera. Moisés Caicedo, defensive midfielder from Brighton, was a top priority for Chelsea and for Mauricio Pochettino since the start of the summer transfer window. But it hasn’t all been easy for the Blues, as the Seagulls have long demanded a hefty sum to release the Ecuador international, who is still under contract until 2027. In addition, Chelsea faced competition from other clubs of the Premier League.
For a time, the Blues thought they had lost their hand in the matter, after Brighton accepted an offer of almost 120 million euros from Liverpool. But in the end, Brighton also managed to reach an agreement with Chelsea for a fee of around 133 million euros. For his part, Moisés Caicedo preferred to join Chelsea and therefore becomes the most expensive player in the history of the Premier League, with this record transfer.
A record transfer
Through their press release, the Blues have just made the news official. “Chelsea are delighted to announce the signing of Ecuadorian international Moises Caicedo. The 21-year-old midfielder has signed an eight-year contract at Stamford Bridge, with an option for a further year from Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion.specify the Blues.
Moisés Caicedo will already have a lot of pressure on his shoulders, since the amount of his transfer therefore exceeds that of the Argentinian Enzo Fernandez (124 million euros, by Chelsea to Benfica in 2023), the Englishman Declan Rice (121 million, by Arsenal to West Ham in 2023) and Jack Grealish (115 million, by Manchester City to Aston Villa in 2021). But no matter his price, Mauricio Pochettino therefore holds his new midfielder, after losing N’Golo Kanté, Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount or even Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
