Chelsea are expected to “go strong” with their first offer for Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

The Italian journalist says that the Blues are now in formal discussions about signing the Ecuadorian international and he predicts Mauricio Pochettino’s side will try to wrap up negotiations as quickly as possible:

“Chelsea will go strong on this one, they don’t want long negotiations but Brighton are really tough in negotiations. On personal terms, there are no issues, the player has already said yes to Chelsea and Chelsea are feeling complete control.”

Even though the Blues are in pole position to sign the player, as Romano says, Brighton are not exactly a team that makes things easy. Remember, they managed to get £62m for Marc Cucurella last summer and Chelsea’s negotiating team will be keen to do a better job this time around. They are hoping an agreement can be reached for £80m but we shall see.

Chelsea are not expected to have competition for Caicedo

It may make things easier that the London club don’t have many rivals for the 21-year-old’s signature. Arsenal had two bids rejected for the player in January but they will not make an offer this summer, with their focus being on snapping up Declan Rice from West Ham.

Manchester United have not made a move for Caicedo, despite reports, with the Red Devils keen to sign a goalkeeper once they have wrapped up the deal for Mason Mount. Liverpool, meanwhile, have just spent £60m on Dominik Szoboszlai.

Are other midfielders being pursued?

The Blues are known to be big fans of Southampton’s Romeo Lavia but it is believed they have been put off by the Belgian international’s £50m price tag.

Celta Vigo’s Gabri Veiga is, though, a genuine target. The Spaniard has a £34m release clause, and he could well be brought in as a replacement for Mount.