Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi has fuelled speculation that Moises Caicedo could leave the club this summer after being linked with Arsenal and Chelsea. The Ecuadorian midfielder penned a new long-term contract at the Amex Stadium just days after the January transfer window had closed.
The Gunners had two bids for Caicedo rejected by the Seagulls whilse the Blues had a verbal offer of £55million rebuffed. Chelsea have cooled their interest in Caicedo's team-mate, Alexis Mac Allister, with Liverpool leading the race to sign the Argentine playmaker, football.london understands.
Incoming Blues' boss Mauricio Pochettino is said to be targeting a new goalkeeper, midfielder and striker ahead of next season as he looks to rebuild the west London outfit. Mikel Arteta wants to bolster his midfield options this summer and it remains to be seen whether Arsenal reignite their interest in Caicedo.
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Despite extending his contract at Brighton until 2027, the 21-year-old could still leave the club this summer for a huge fee. Speaking after the Seagulls' 3-0 win against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, De Zerbi said: " Of course we will lose some players - maybe Caicedo, maybe Mac Allister.
"We have to be ready to bring in another good players, and the others, for Mitoma and Estupinan, I think for them the best solution is to stay with us. I don’t know if they are ready to play in the big teams, you can explain better than me to ‘play in a big team.’
"We can offer them the possibility to progress and improve. We have to improve in mentality, we are not used to playing three games per week.
"We won a fantastic game with Man United and after four days we played against Everton and we didn’t use the victory against Manchester United. We started the game with the same shirts of the game against United and I think this is the most important part to improve."
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