Chelsea have completed the signing of Moises Caicedo from Brighton for an initial £100million, possibly rising to £115m after add-ons.
A deal for the midfielder was finally agreed late on Sunday night after a lengthy saga that saw Brighton knock back three bids for the 21-year-old.
He underwent a medical and agreed personal terms on Monday and has signed an eight-year contract with the club.
Caicedo said: “I am so happy to join Chelsea! I am so excited to be here at this big club and I didn’t have to think twice when Chelsea called me, I just knew I wanted to sign for the club.
It’s only ever been Chelsea. pic.twitter.com/LCYf6A2BQr
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 14, 2023
“It’s a dream come true to be here and I can’t wait to get started with the team.”
It is understood that roughly half of the add-ons included in the deal are easily achievable whilst the rest will be more difficult for Brighton to activate, though it is likely the fee will eventually rise to become a British record, surpassing the £105m they Blues paid Benfica for Enzo Fernandez.
They first tried to buy Caicedo during the January transfer window but Brighton were insistent he was not for sale and, after initially stating a desire to leave, he was persuaded to sign a new contract in March until 2027.
During the current window Chelsea had previously only been willing to go as high as £80m, a figure well short of Brighton owner Tony Bloom’s valuation, before finally agreeing to meet Brighton’s requirements for a deal on Sunday.
The PA news agency also understands Chelsea have won the race to sign Romeo Lavia from Southampton after the midfielder picked Stamford Bridge over a move to Liverpool
Though a fee is yet to be agreed, the 19-year-old has indicated his desire to join Mauricio Pochettino’s side and negotiations will now take place over personal terms, with the deal likely to be worth in excess of £50million.
It is the second time in less than 24 hours that the club have beaten Liverpool to a key transfer target following Caicedo’s capture.
Belgium international Lavia has played just 29 Premier League games since joining Southampton from Manchester City last summer but was a standout performer last season despite Saints’ relegation to the Championship.
Liverpool had reportedly agreed a deal worth £60m to sign Lavia as Klopp looks to reinforce his midfield following a clutch of departures, but look set to miss out again in an echo of their failure to lure Caicedo, for whom a £111m fee had been agreed before Chelsea stepped in.
The club are understood to be confident that they are not paying over the odds for the Ecuadorian despite him only having played 45 times in the Premier League.
He is likely to make his debut alongside Fernandez in midfield when Chelsea play West Ham at the London Stadium on Saturday.
