Brighton And Hove Albion have a replacement lined up for Moises Caicedo, and it is a player who has been on Newcastle United’s radar as well.
The Seagulls looks set to lose Caicedo, who has been at the centre of a transfer tug of war between Chelsea and Liverpool.
Both sides have been battling it out for the honour of spending a ridiculous amount of money on the midfielder, and it is Mauricio Pochettino’s side who are set to come out on top.
Caicedo is going to join Chelsea in a deal worth £115million, which is a British record. It is an absolutely staggering fee, especially when you remember he only cost Brighton £4.5million a few years ago.
Newcastle were in the mix to sign him back then, and they will be so disappointed to have missed out considering how good he is now and how valuable he has become.
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Now Brighton are lining up a replacement, and it is another player who the Magpies have shown an interest in.
Newcastle have shown interest in Carlos Baleba
According to the Daily Mail’s weekly newsletter Transfer Confidential, Brighton are in talks to sign Carlos Baleba from Lille.
The report adds that the 19-year-old has had interest from various other clubs as well, one of which is Newcastle. They state that Eddie Howe’s side have ‘been on Baleba’s trail’, as have AC Milan, Juventus, Monaco and Liverpool.
A lot of big clubs have been tracking Baleba, but it looks like it is going to be Brighton who secure his signature.
And given their recent history in the transfer market, you have to expect he will be a perfect replacement for the outgoing Caicedo.
Baleba is of similar profile. He is excellent at getting around the pitch and breaking up play, while he is also technically sound. That is basically what Caicedo is, so a move for the Cameroonian makes sense.
It is also no surprise to see Newcastle linked, as he is the type of midfield presence that Howe has had his eye on. He was even keen on a deal for Caicedo, but the astronomical asking price ended that pursuit.
And with Newcastle looking to strengthen elsewhere amid FFP concerns, it looks like there will not be a move for Baleba either. While he is a top talent, another midfielder is not the Magpies’ priority in the remaining few weeks of the transfer window.