Chelsea submit fresh Caicedo bid after Pochettino makes £80m transfer plea

Moises Caicedo continues to be heavily linked with a move to Chelsea this summer, but Brighton are reportedly driving a hard bargain

Chelsea have been dealt another major blow to their hopes of signing Moises Caicedo. The 21-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge this summer as Mauricio Pochettino looks to further bolster his midfielder options.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the Blues have submitted a new bid for Caicedo in the last 24 hours. The report states that Chelsea offered Brighton a deal worth £80million, but it was immediately rejected despite the Ecuador international's desire to leave the Amex Stadium.

Ahead of the Seagulls' clash against Brentford on Wednesday evening, Roberto De Zerbi urged Caicedo to remain focused on the task at hand. The Italian said: "My deadline is the ego - the attitude of him inside the dressing room and the pitch.

"The other thing is not my problem. I’m happy if Moises stays and plays with us. We will play anyway without him. We have to be ready to find another midfielder if Caicedo leaves."

"It depends on the situation of different players," said 51-year-old. "We need at least one more and we are working on that. It depends on what happens in the next few weeks. We will decide and take our decision"

Then, when asked to confirm his transfer plan, Pochettino added: "That is the idea. We are working, the club is working on that. We need to add some player there. We need one more with experience."

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