Liverpool are set to walk away from Moises Caicedo after failing to agree personal terms for the player with Chelsea again in the race to sign the midfielder.
Liverpool made a late night swoop for Moises Caicedo, submitting a record £110m bid for the player which was accepted by Brighton.
They were given the nod to negotiate with the player on personal terms to complete the deal.
Moises Caicedo openly informed Liverpool he does not want to join them and had refused to negotiate personal terms with the Merseyside club.
There were reports Liverpool were still optimistic of convincing Moises Caicedo to change his mind following the rebuttal. However, they are now set to walk away from talks with the player as attempts to prod him up to change his mind has failed.
Liverpool needed the services of Moises Caicedo after losing famous Liverpool midfield veterans – Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to the Saudi Pro League this summer.
Thiago Alcantara could also leave the club this summer hence the Reds need reinforcement at the middle of the park as they brace up to upturn last season’s Premier League misfortunes.
With no greenlight on sight from the Ecuadorian, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed Jurgen Klopp is set to walk off the deal and will be exploring other alternatives to further bolster his midfield options going into the new season.
Caicedo’s decision to turn down Liverpool move is linked to his resolve to join Chelsea. The Brighton top star is understood to be interested in a move to the London club. According to reports, Caicedo has agreed personal terms with Chelsea since May having been impressed with Mauricio Pochettino’s project at the club.
Chelsea stumbled on hurdles of rejected bids for Moises Caicedo before Liverpool stepped in with a late move to hijack the race.
Chelsea submitted four bids for Moises Caicedo and were all turned down by Brighton who held out for over £100m asking price.
Chelsea’s last offer for Moises Caicedo was £100m which Brighton rejected in hand before Liverpool crossed the £100m threshold with £110 bid which was readily accepted by the Seagulls but they ended up suffering setback as they failed to agree personal terms with the player.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are now in pole position to seal a deal for Moises Caicedo with a record offer ready.
Chelsea will be expected to either match or surpass Liverpool’s £110m offer for Moises Caicedo to reach agreement with Brighton for the player.
Meanwhile, an unconfirmed report from British football journalist Nathan Gissing says Chelsea have tabled a record £115m for Moises Caicedo, £15 more than their last bid and £5m more than Liverpool’s bid for the player.
Brighton are poised to accept such offer for the Ecuadorian if it is true but all fingers are crossed on the Seagulls’ decision. Unlike their rivals, who battled to agree terms with Caicedo, Chelsea have Caicedo on a platter when a deal is agreed with Brighton as the Ecuadorian has given the greenlight for the move since May.
Elsewhere, Chelsea and Liverpool are also locking horns in another tight race for Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia. Both clubs have tabled bids for Lavia which have been rejected by Southampton, who want £50m for the player.
However, recent reports say Chelsea are equally ahead of Liverpool to sign the player having met Southampton’s £50m asking price for the player in their last bid.
