Chelsea are in talks to sign Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo in the summer transfer window, according to Fabrizio Romano on Twitter.

Caicedo will leave Brighton ‘for sure’ in the upcoming window – as things stand, Chelsea appear to be in pole position to bring him to Stamford Bridge.

In Romano’s tweet, he wrote: “Chelsea are advancing on Moisés Caicedo deal. Talks progressing on the player side, contract proposal made — personal terms close to being agreed. Deal not done yet — it will take time. Chelsea expect to negotiate for £80m fee. Pact with De Zerbi will guarantee to leave.”

He followed this up with another tweet, writing: “More on Caicedo story reported last night. Chelsea advancing on Caicedo personal terms;
talks with Brighton expected to start next week; player doesn’t see any chance to stay; Arsenal only focused on Rice/Havertz; Bayern, no talks.”

In an additional tweet, he put: “Talks between Chelsea and Brighton for Moisés Caicedo will start next week, as the conversation on personal terms is very advanced — close to being agreed as revealed yesterday. For sure, Caicedo will leave Brighton this summer.”

Who else, besides Chelsea, are interested in a transfer for Moises Caicedo?

Chelsea are not the only big hitters in the race to sign Caicedo this summer. Aside from the Blues, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United have all been linked with the player.

Nevertheless, Chelsea are still the frontrunners in the race to bring Caicedo to the club. A deal is yet to be completed – but reports suggest that the Blues are in the lead, despite not being able to offer him European football next season.

What would Caicedo add to the squad?

Chelsea are currently in disarray in terms of their squad. It is extremely unbalanced, with a surplus of attacking midfielders and wingers at the club.

However, the acquisition of Caicedo could give the Blues some much-needed defensive solidity. Not only is he a very effective tackler, he also possesses an impressive range of passing.

With Chelsea’s primary holding midfielder, N’Golo Kante [via The Sun], expected to leave the club in the summer, Caicedo would be an excellent replacement for the Frenchman.