Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Chelsea will now turn their attentions to signing Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo. He took to Twitter to state that this follows the club pulling out of a deal to sign Manuel Ugarte this summer.
It looked as if the Blues were closing in on their first transfer of the summer with Ugarte being reportedly close to a move to Stamford Bridge. He was seemingly keen on the move to the Premier League, with rival club PSG offering more money originally than Chelsea.
However, it seems now as if the French champions have pipped the Blues in terms of money by some way, leaving the Blues believing they are best off chasing other options.
Romano has now claimed that one of these options is Caicedo, who the club have held a long-term interest in since he announced himself in the Premier League.
Chelsea turn attention to Caicedo
He said: “Regardless of how this Ugarte saga will finish with PSG having a ‘match point’ and Chelsea out of the race, as of now… keep an eye again on Moisés Caicedo.
“Chelsea wanted him in January then well informed since May — Caicedo’s always been in the list with Ugarte.”
The Ecuadorian has just come off a stellar campaign, where many will have him down as the best player in the biggest over performers in the league.
The Blues look as if they need someone with his profile too, with his ability to win the ball back second to none this season.
They will be safe in the knowledge though that they will need to spend around £80m to bring in the young star this summer.
However, they will be aware that a traditional defensive midfielder is still the void they need to be filling, and they may look at another midfielder too if they are to grant Mauricio Pochettino the perfect first window.