Exclusive: Moises Caicedo “extremely disappointed” to still be at Brighton and wants transfer talks with Chelsea

Caicedo has joined up with the Seagulls in Philadelphia for a pre-season friendly against Chelsea on Saturday as part of the brand new Premier League Summer Series.

In the build up to the game, Caicedo has directly informed manager Roberto De Zerbi and senior members of the Brighton hierarchy that he wants to join Chelsea, and that he believes a recently rejected £70m offer was more than fair.

Those close to Caicedo point to the £68m (€80m) fee Real Madrid paid to Monaco for Aurelien Tchouameni and argue it is unfair for the Ecuadorian midfielder to be sold for significantly more.

Brighton's so-called ‘asking price' of £100m – even though this number has never been explicitly quoted to Chelsea – is branded "ridiculous" by multiple sources close to the player.

Brighton rarely offer prices upfront in this type of difficult negotiation. CEO Paul Barber factors in a range of factors when selling which can make dealing with Brighton a drawn out process.

Moises Caicedo is frustrated with his current situation

"One of the most important parts of our model is knowing when to sell, and also making sure we've got that plan in place to replace the outgoing player so there is no diminution to the coach's ability to win football matches. That's an important part of what we do," said Barber.

"We can't get it right every single time. There's always going to be moments and set situations when it doesn't quite work to everyone's advantage.

"As for the fee, the market determines the price just like any other commodity. If you have got a rare talent, who is in high demand or under a long contract, or if there just aren't many players in that position, the price can be whatever it needs to be."

It is understood that Caicedo is not planning on handing in a transfer request, or at this stage releasing another public statement – as he did when Arsenal bid £70m for him in January to try and force the move.

When signing a new deal until 2027 (with a club option of an extra year) following the close of the January window, Caicedo was verbally promised he would be allowed to leave this summer if the right offer came in. But Chelsea have failed to make much headway in securing him despite offering Brighton what would be a club-record sale.

Talks so far haven't only centered on agreeing a fee or structure. Brighton have also been trying to include Chelsea centre-back Levi Colwill in any deal. Colwill impressed for Brighton on loan last season as they qualified for Europe for the first time in their history.

Chelsea view Colwill as not for sale, and only the player driving an exit could change things. Chelsea's intent is to get Colwill to extend his stay at the club and he has also held one-on-one talks about this season with Mauricio Pochettino.

Brighton can to an extent control Caicedo's potential exit because he chose to extend. And had Caicedo not done so not much would have changed this summer because he still had two years to run on his old contract. This also meant adding a release clause to his new extension was not possible. Alexis Mac Allister was only able to do this, prior to his £35m move to Liverpool, because his four-and-a-half year contract signed in 2019 was winding down.

The Caicedo camp are now encouraging Brighton and Chelsea to hold face-to-face talks in Philadelphia to try and thrash out a deal. It is understood Caicedo's agent is also prepared to fly in and exert pressure on behalf of his client.

Although sources indicate there is a fear from Caicedo himself that Chelsea may walk away from the deal, sources close to the club still maintain he is a top summer target.

It remains to be seen whether Caicedo plays against Chelsea at the Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday, but he plans to remain professional and do what Brighton ask of him.

Brighton are yet to receive a third offer from Chelsea having rejected bids of £60m and £70m. The last offer also saw £5m in add-ons discussed with Chelsea still prepared to go higher. Insiders close to the deal still believe a total package of around £80m may be possible to finally persuade Brighton to sell, even though the talk of £100m simply won't go away.