Moises Caicedo's agent has revealed the crucial reason why the midfielder held out for a move to Chelsea this summer, despite Liverpool first agreeing terms with Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Ecuadorian quickly rose to prominence in the Premier League after making his debut in April 2022, establishing himself as a key figure in Brighton's midfield.
His sudden rise saw Arsenal and Chelsea attempt to sign him in January 2023, but Brighton knocked back all offers and were determined to keep him until the end of the season, despite Caicedo's pleas to grant an exit.
Though he signed a new contract at the Amex Stadium in March 2023, Caicedo was again the subject of heavy transfer interest in the summer. Chelsea made fresh attempts to acquire him, while Liverpool also entered the race.
Chelsea saw several eight-figure bids knocked back, with the Seagulls holding out for a fee in the region of the £105m paid by Arsenal for West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice.
Liverpool then blew Chelsea out of the water with a British-record £111m bid which was accepted by Brighton, but Caicedo resisted the Reds' approach and he would soon complete a £115m move to the Blues.
Speaking to Ecuadorian channel Football sin Cassette, Caicedo's agent, Manuel Sierra, explained how these two transfer sagas unfolded and why his client was so determined to join Chelsea.
"What happened is that in January [Chelsea] couldn't pay," he began. "They couldn't go crazy because they had to go with one or the other, they couldn't sign both [Enzo Fernandez and Caicedo] and I didn't know what Brighton were going to ask for. Brighton were not going to sell even for £1bn.
"The issue of not going to Liverpool instead of Chelsea was also questioned a lot. The offers were similar in every way, the issue was a question of values, principles and of giving the floor to someone. When Liverpool's offer arrived, Brighton were asked for time so that Chelsea could match it, they did, they surpassed it and he ended up at Chelsea because he had given his word to Chelsea for quite some time.
"Liverpool were always interested. We had meetings between January and May but since May we didn't hear from them. Of course we were surprised that suddenly they appeared with [an offer] that they had said they couldn't do.
"The first thing we were told was, 'Tomorrow you have to go to Liverpool to have a medical'. Of course, what is our reaction going to be if we have not negotiated, we have not spoken, we have not seen anything since May?
"Our phone conversations were clear at all times, we were clear, as long as Chelsea offered the same conditions that Liverpool could. As I say they surpassed it, so there was no complaint.
"It is very complicated. Imagine that Jurgen Klopp is writing to you, that Liverpool are calling you, we are talking about something very big, one of the best teams in the world just like Chelsea - and with a more established and more stabilised project than what Chelsea have today.
"When Liverpool came and approached in that way, obviously Moises got dizzy, I got dizzy myself, but Chelsea were by our side at all times asking us to go, they wanted an hour to tell Brighton that they could match the offer. They gave them an hour and it ended after two days of negotiation."
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This article was originally published on 90min as Moises Caicedo's agent explains reason for choosing Chelsea over Liverpool.