Moises Caicedo transfer: Liverpool battling to beat Chelsea for Brighton star after £111 million deal agreed

Caicedo is set to leave Brighton but it's not yet certain where he will go

Liverpool may have agreed a British record fee with Brighton and Hove Albion for Moises Caicedo but the Reds face an almighty battle to secure the midfielder's services with Chelsea still in the race. A £111 million offer for Caicedo from Liverpool was accepted by Brighton in the early hours of Friday morning but so far the Ecuadorian has not travelled north to finalise that move. The 21-year-old is understood to favor a move to Chelsea after a lengthy pursuit from the west London side, one that contrasts markedly with the dramatic late swoop from Anfield that seemed to have swung the transfer race in their favor.

Caicedo has made no secret of his desire to join Chelsea in recent weeks but Brighton's deadline for agreeing a deal has passed. There has so far been no indication of a new bid from Mauricio Pochettino's side that would match or even better the remarkable package put together by Liverpool.

Speaking earlier on Friday, Jurgen Klopp counseled that Caicedo should not be considered a Liverpool player even though they had reached an agreement with Brighton that Chelsea had not. "I can confirm the deal that the club has agreed [a deal], I don't know what it means exactly, the player and agreement, we will see," Klopp said.

"I have told you what I know. Besides that we cannot share, don't praise the day before the night. Let's see what happens."

To add to the sense of high drama around this transfer, Chelsea and Liverpool will face off at Stamford Bridge in their opening Premier League game on Sunday, by which time one of them will likely have secured Caicedo's services. Both clubs require significant reinforcements in midfield after allowing a string of veterans to depart. Klopp had brought in Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai to replace a quintet of midfielders who have departed, the sale of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson to Saudi Arabian clubs delivering financial muscle to make a bid that would obliterate their previous transfer record, the £85.6 million paid for Darwin Nunez last summer. 

If Chelsea were to win the race they would be breaking the British record they set only in January, paying £106.7 million for Enzo Fernandez. Whoever secures Caicedo it will be Brighton who are the big winners; two and a half years after paying Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle £4 million they would be raking in a fee nearly 28 times greater, more than enough to secure a top-tier replacement.

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Speaking ahead of his side's Premier League opener against Luton Town, Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi said, "I've already forgotten Moises. I am really proud for the players we have in the squad. We want to keep improving. The credit goes to the club. Bigger clubs can buy our players but they can't buy our soul or spirit."

In 2016, Klopp had been particularly vocal in his criticism of clubs spending huge money on players following Paul Pogba's £89 million move to Manchester United. Seven years on his stance has softened. "Everything changed," he acknowledged. "Do I like it? No. Did I realize I was wrong? Yes. That's the way it goes."