August 11 – Liverpool have agreed a British record transfer fee of £111 million with Brighton for midfielder Moises Caicedo, seemingly grabbing the Ecuador star from under the noses of Chelsea.
Brighton had rejected a succession of bids from Chelsea after setting a fee in excess of £100m for Caicedo, one of the most exciting talents in world football.
Liverpool lost midfielders Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to the Saudi Pro League last month but signed Caicedo’s Brighton team-mate Alexis MacAllister in June for £35 million.
The fee agreed for Caicedo exceeds the £107 million Chelsea paid for Argentina midfielder Enzon Fernandez earlier this year.
Caicedo joined Brighton from Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle for £4 million in February 2021
He asked to leave Brighton in the January transfer window earlier this year. Arsenal then had multiple offers turned down for Caicedo before the player signed a new contract with the Seagulls until 2027 in March.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been looking to rebuild his squad after they finished fifth in the Premier League last season and failed to qualify for the Champions League. They backed away from signing Jude Bellingham who subsequently went to Real Madrid, baulking at the fee.
But with Arsenal recently spending £105 million on England midfielder Declan Rice, Liverpool have now joined the clubs willing to go above the £100 million mark in order to secure a world-class player.
“I can confirm the deal with the club is agreed,” said Klopp of the Caicedo deal. “We are a club not with endless resources but when it happens we give it a go. We will see. Let’s see what happens.”
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