JUST IN: LIVERPOOL TO PAY RECORD SIGNING FEE OF £110M FOR MOSES CAICEDO
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– His Rise to Football Stardom
Liverpool have agreed a British-record transfer fee with Brighton for midfielder Moises Caicedo.
The fee is said to be worth £110m, with Caicedo set to travel to Liverpool on Friday for a medical.
Brighton set a deadline for midnight on Thursday for bids to come in – and provided their valuation was met, they would go with the highest bidder.
Liverpool’s offer of £110m was not matched.
It is understood Chelsea were prepared to go to £100m, while Bayern Munich indicated they would pay £90m.
Brighton signed Caicedo for £4.5m from Independiente del Valle in 2021.
On 1 February 2021, Caicedo joined English side Brighton & Hove Albion on a four and a half year deal, for an undisclosed fee. On 10 February 2021, Caicedo made his first appearance in Brighton’s first-team matchday squad in Brighton’s 1–0 away loss against Leicester City in the FA Cup, where he was an unused substitute.
He made his debut for Brighton on 24 August starting in the EFL Cup second round away fixture at Cardiff City where he set up Andi Zeqiri’s first Albion goal in the 2–0 win.
2021–2022: Beerschot (loan)
On transfer deadline day of 31 August 2021, Caicedo joined Beerschot of the Belgium top flight on a season-long loan. He scored his first goal on his seventh appearance, a 90+2 minute strike to seal all three points in the 2–0 home win over Genk. On 12 January 2022, due to shortages of central midfielders at Brighton, Caicedo was recalled from his loan and returned to England.
Immediately on his return to Sussex, he was included on the bench where he remained for the 1–1 home draw against bitter rivals Crystal Palace on 15 January. He made his first appearance since returning and second overall for the Albion coming on as a substitute in the 3–1 away loss at Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup fourth round on 5 February. Caicedo made his Premier League debut on 9 April, starting and assisting Enock Mwepu’s goal in the 2–1 away win over Arsenal. He scored his first goal for the Albion on 7 May, opening the scoreline in a 4–0 win over Manchester United, with a 15th minute low 25-yard strike.
Caicedo opened his goal account for the 2022–23 season in his and Brighton’s sixth match of the season on 4 September, a 5–2 home win over Leicester City. During January 2023, Caicedo signed a new deal with a football agency company, and on 27 January, with interest coming in from league leaders Arsenal, his agents released a statement announcing he wanted to leave Brighton in an open letter on the players Instagram page. Stating that, “I am the youngest of 10 siblings from a poor upbringing in Santa Domingo in Ecuador. My dream always to be the most decorated player in the history of Ecuador,” thanking Albion fans saying they “will always be in my heart.” Caicedo was heavily linked with Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea. However, Brighton refused to sell the Ecuadorian with the 21-year-old in contract with the Sussex club until the summer of 2025, after telling him to rest until the end of the transfer window. He returned to training on 1 February and returned to action on the 4th, coming on as a substitute in the 1–0 home win over Bournemouth with Roberto De Zerbi asking fans not to criticise the player. On 3 March 2023, Caicedo signed a new long term contract with Brighton until 2027, with the option of an additional year’s extension.
On 1 June, Caicedo was voted as the second-best Brighton player of the season by users of BBC Sport, after Alexis Mac Allister. At Brighton’s end of season awards Caicedo won both Player of the Season and Player’s Player, promising that “When I go back to my flat I will give this award to my mother and father, they are my inspiration.”
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