- Arsenal are so much interested in Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo in the January transfer window
- Arsenal had seen their first bid for the midfielder rejected by Arsenal
- The Gunners have since returned with a bigger offer but the Seagulls have once again rejected the offer
Brighton & Hove Albion have turned down a second offer from Arsenal for Moises Caicedo.
Late last week, Arsenal, like Chelesa, had their initial bid for the Ecuadorian midfielder rejected; as a result, Caicedo announced his intention to leave the team this month.
Caicedo was given time off by Brighton in response to their refusal to sell their star midfielder during the transfer window.
Arsenal, though, has responded with a bid of £65 million plus $5 million in add-ons, but Brighton has already responded with a resounding “no.”
Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo is keen on leaving the club in the January transfer window amidst interest from Arsenal. | PHOTO: TEAMtALK |
Brighton insists that they will not be forced into selling Caicedo and have refused to either put a price-tag on him.
On the pitch, Brighton is presently sixth in the Premier League standings and, thanks to a victory over Liverpool over the weekend, has advanced to the FA Cup fifth round.
By letting one of their key players to leave, the Seagulls will not be jeopardizing their belief that they are on track for a historic season.
We’ll have to wait and see if Arsenal makes another offer. Enzo Fernandez was the original target for Chelsea in January, and the club is still interested in him.
Following the interest from Arsenal, Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Roberto De Zerbi thinks the team is “ready to go forward without” Moises Caicedo.
All throughout the month, Caicedo has been closely connected to moves away from the Amex Stadium, but this week, rumours of interest reportedly increased.
Caicedo reportedly openly expressed his intention to quit Arsenal after Brighton allegedly rejected a £60 million bid from them.
Brighton have rejected another offer from Arsenal for midfielder Moises Caicedo. | PHOTO: Goal |
In a Friday on social media statement, the Ecuador international spoke of wanting to make the most of a “magnificent opportunity”.
Although he didn’t mention them by name, the Gunners—who in this window acquired Leandro Trossard from the Seagulls—are rumoured to have since increased their bid to about £70 million.
Caicedo missed Sunday’s 2-1 FA Cup victory over Liverpool because Brighton had instructed him to avoid playing for the first team while his future was still up in the air, but De Zerbi seemed to be okay with a sale going through.
“Caicedo is a very, very good guy,” the told reporters after the game. “I can understand because when you are 21 and you have a request from a big team, they are playing in Europe.
“I would like him to finish the season with us, but we are ready to go forward without him – I think we need some players in some positions.
“I spoke a lot with [Brighton chairman] Tony [Bloom], he knows very well my opinion. We are a good team, but we can improve from the transfer window.
“We lost [Leandro] Trossard and if we also lose Caicedo, it can be a problem for us if we want to fight for Europe.”
Fans were surprised by Caicedo’s announcement that he intended to quit, and De Zerbi had already called it a “mistake.”
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