‘They’re nowhere near us’: Chelsea now plan to make early highjack for £70m player who Arsenal have already agreed personal terms with
Journalist Dean Jones has claimed that Chelsea are planning an early summer move for reported Arsenal target Moises Caicedo.
Arsenal look set to bolster their squad over the summer after narrowly missing out on the Premier League title.
Mikel Arteta has seemingly identified the midfield as a priority area, with the likes of Moises Caicedo and West Ham’s Declan Rice touted as their top targets.
Indeed, Fabrizio Romano claimed earlier this week that Arsenal have already held talks with Caicedo over a summer move.
But Chelsea also hold an interest in the talented midfielder and Jones has told GiveMeSport they are planning to get ahead of the competition in the race to sign him.
Chelsea to make early move for Caicedo
Jones shared an update on Chelsea’s interest in Caicedo and claims the west Londoners are expected to hold talks over signing him early in the window.
“I think early in the window we will see Chelsea seek guidance from Brighton over what it is going to take to sign Moisés Caicedo,” the journalist said. “I can’t be sure yet that they make the offer, but that’s what the first step will be, understanding exactly what the expected terms will be and to get a feel for how quickly things can move forward
“Chelsea do not want to waste any time with their business. [Mauricio] Pochettino needs a settled squad for pre-season as much as possible.
“They absolutely do not want a repeat of last pre-season, as the poor preparations left them chasing from day one in the Premier League. I know that Chelsea have other options beyond Caicedo, but he is attainable in the next window and there will also be at least two other Premier League clubs interested, so I’ve been told to expect early talks on that one.”
Of course, Arsenal’s interest in Caicedo dates back to the January window when they had two bids rejected for the midfielder.
Sky Sports reports the second offer was worth up to £70 million, while Chelsea were also keen on the Ecuador international.
The Gunners ended up signing Jorginho from Chelsea instead, but they will be fully aware of the need to add extra quality over the summer.
Arsenal and Chelsea have gone head-to-head for players quite frequently in recent time
The Blues beat Arteta’s men to signing Mykhaylo Mudryk back in January, while both clubs were also in for Raphinha before he moved from Leeds to Barcelona.
As for Caicedo, you get the feeling that it will come down to who is prepared to part with the larger fee to sign him.
Chelsea have already shown they are willing to outbid Arsenal by landing Mudryk and the Gunners may be prioritising a move for Rice over the Brighton star.
