Newcastle United are interested in signing Moises Caicedo this summer, but could be facing a losing battle given interest from Chelsea.
Caicedo looks likely to leave Brighton And Hove Albion ahead of next season, having excelled during his first full season as a regular starter in the Premier League. He made 37 appearances for the Seagulls and played a major role in Roberto De Zerbi’s side qualifying for the Europa League.
Despite reaching Europe, Brighton are still at risk of losing Caicedo. He is set to be a man in demand, with multiple top flight clubs keen to snap him up.
One of those clubs is Newcastle, with Eddie Howe looking to sign a defensive midfielder. He was a target in January, and is once again on the Magpies’ radar.
However, the Ecuador international is also a target for Chelsea, and they fancy their chances of tempting the 21-year-old to Stamford Bridge.
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Chelsea optimistic about signing Moises Caicedo from Brighton
According to the Evening Standard, Chelsea are optimistic that they can sign Caicedo from Brighton this summer, despite a potential asking price of £80million.
That would surely be too much for Newcastle, but perhaps not for Chelsea. Todd Boehly has already proven he is more than willing to splash the cash, and he will be keen to back new manager Mauricio Pochettino.
On top of that, Chelsea also have the option of including Levi Colwill in the deal. He was on loan at Brighton from Chelsea this season, and De Zerbi would like him back permanently. Including him would mean Chelsea don’t have to spend as much money.
With Chelsea optimistic about their chances of signing Caicedo, it feels unlikely that we will see the youngster in a Toon shirt. It is hard to imagine us matching what the London club are prepared to offer.
That is a huge shame, as Caicedo would be a great fit for this Newcastle team. That is what Howe thinks, having considered signing him at the start of the year.
The Magpies are looking for someone to play the number six role, and Caicedo looks like the ideal profile. He is a ‘brilliant tackler‘, while he has shown in a Brighton shirt how good he is at keeping possession and progressing the ball up the pitch.
Unfortunately, it feels unlikely that we will see Caicedo use those skills on Tyneside.