Mauricio Pochettino is remaining quiet on Chelsea and Liverpool’s fierce battle for Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo as he also targets a replacement for the injured Christopher Nkunku.
Chelsea have been locked in a tussle with Liverpool for Caicedo ahead of the opening Premier League match of the season between the two sides at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Liverpool won Brighton’s auction on Thursday night, sensationally outbidding Chelsea to agree a British record £111million fee for the Blues’ No1 summer transfer target.
Chelsea, however, have refused to give up and upped the personal terms offered to Caicedo in the hope that he refuses a move to Anfield.
Transfer live blog! Follow all the latest Chelsea news and rumours
Pochettino refused to stoke the fires of a volatile transfer situation as he was inevitably quizzed on the saga in his pre-match press conference on Friday. The Argentine said at Cobham: “You know me very well, I don’t talk about players that do not belong to us. I am so respectful.
“What I can tell you is that we are working very hard to add more players to the squad. [Players that have] quality and of course when we have an update for you, the club will do but at the moment, I do not want to talk about players that don’t belong to us.
“Like any club, we are working very hard to add more quality and to of course improve the team and the squad. I am so happy with the way we are doing things with [co-sporting directors] Paul [Winstanley], Laurence [Stewart] and the owners; the relationship is really, really good and really close. So far, so good.”
When pressed on what he still needs in his squad, Pochettino added: “Many midfielders have left the squad and we have different options.
“We are working really hard but always being really respectful with the names that are there, the clubs and the players."
Chelsea will be without Christopher Nkunku to start the season after the French forward needed surgery to fix a knee injury sustained on a bad pitch in the club’s final pre-season match in Chicago.
Pochettino wants a replacement for the £52m forward signed from RB Leipzig, who is now expected to be out for around four months.
The manager said: “We feel very sorry about him. He was doing well, he was very important player for us. I think the quality is there, one of the best offensive players that can play in different positions that always is a big issue for us.
“Now it’s about not to think too much about the injuries and to be positive about when he can be again with us and recover as soon as possible in a good way.
“We are working in the market also, we are going to miss one player like this. The club is working, trying to find a solution, maybe short term, medium and long term to add the right profile for the team to perform for now.”
