Chelsea have completed the signing of Ecuadorian midfielder Moises Caicedo for a reported Premier League record fee of up to £115 million ($146 million) on Monday evening.
It is the second time Chelsea have broken the British transfer record in seven months after spending £107 million on Enzo Fernandez in January.
Chelsea saw several bids between £50m and £80m rejected by Brighton last week ago but with Liverpool reaching the threshold set by the Seagulls, Chelsea have outbid Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Liverpool had a £110 million bid accepted on Friday after Brighton had set a deadline for bids.
But Caicedo turned down the opportunity to join the Reds to pursue a move to the Blues.
“I am so happy to join Chelsea!” Caicedo said in a club statement.
“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 a dream come true to be here and I can’t wait to get started with the team.”
Chelsea will reportedly pay an initial £100 million with a further £15 million due in performance-related bonuses.
The deal represents another huge profit for Brighton, who signed Caicedo from Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle for just £4 million in 2021.
“Chelsea are getting one of the top midfielders in the world,” said Brighton’s technical director David Weir.
“Moises has been one of our exceptional players over the past 18 months.”
Chelsea have spent close to £900 million on players in just three transfer windows since a takeover fronted by LA Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly and private equity group Clearlake Capital.
However, they slumped to 12th in the Premier League last season — their lowest finish since 1994.
New manager Mauricio Pochettino’s reign got off to a promising start in a 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Sunday.
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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.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
