Izuchukwu Okosi
Arsenal are ready to exert some level of vengeance on Chelsea as both London sides hope to bid for the signature of Brighton midfielder, Moises Caicedo.
Chelsea hijacked the imminent signing of Ukraine forward Mykailo Mudryk by Arsenal, when they offered the player’s former club, Shakhtar Donetsk, higher transfer fees than their rivals.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelArsenal responded swiftly to that disappointment by going all out for the acquisition of Caicedo’s teammate at Brighton, Leandro Trossard, whose relationship with manager Roberto de Zerbi, had deteriorated.
Trossard, despite the manner of his exit at Brighton, is an experienced Premier League quality player whose cameo performance on Sunday against Manchester United helped in the third goal scored by the Gunners.
Now, reports in the English media monitored on Tuesday by Prime Business Africa, indicate that Arsenal have identified Caicedo, whom Chelsea first showed interest in, for a possible signing before the end of th the transfer window.
Another club in the hunt for Caicedo is Liverpool currently plagued by injuries to some key players and an aging midfield.
Brighton are adamant that they will not be pressured to sell their valued asset on the cheap and have turned down a bid of £55 million from Chelsea.
Arsenal are said to be interested in West Ham United captain, Declan Rice who is valued at £80 million but may have elected to go for Chelsea target, Caicedo.
READ ALSO: Chelsea Set To Outbid Arsenal For Signature Of €100 Million Mudryk
Caicedo has been tracked by the two London clubs and Liverpool for some time, with the Blues having had two bids in excess of £55million rejected by Brighton this month.
The 21-year-old has broken his silence over a potential transfer exit in the January transfer window after confirming that Manuel Sierra (Futbol Division) and Ali Barat will be his new agents.
Amadou Onana has emerged as a potential alternative to Caicedo and Rice for both Chelsea and Arsenal after Everton sacked Frank Lampard and are in need of raising funds to invest in the team.
The Blues are thought to still be pursuing a deal for Benfica star Enzo Fernandez, which could allow the Gunners to hijack a move for Caicedo and get revenge after Mykhailo Mudryk moved to Stamford Bridge after being heavily linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium.
Should a club come in with an offer that matches Brighton’s valuation of Caicedo, the Ecuador international could leave the Seagulls mid-season. The talented midfielder has had his own say on a switch when discussing interest with the official Brighton website.
“I am here, I’m playing every day. Things from outside don’t trouble me, nor does it take that focus away because I’m focussed only on here,” Caicedo said.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
