Journo claims Chelsea are ‘monitoring’ South American midfielder ahead of January window

Chelsea monitoring Moises Caicedo ahead of the January transfer window

As per a tweet from sports journalist Nicolo Schira (h/t Football.London), Chelsea are monitoring the situation of Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo ahead of the January transfer window.

The Ecuadorian international has been a summer target for Blues’ rivals Liverpool. However, the player responded earlier that he is happy at Brighton despite the links. Manchester United have been long-time admirers of the midfielder as well.

These fresh links of the 20-year-old to Chelsea are obvious after the appointment of former Brighton boss Graham Potter as the new Blues manager last week.

Potter left the Seagulls to sign for Chelsea last Thursday, a day after Thomas Tuchel was sacked following the defeat to Dinamo Zagreb.

The Blues have already acquired the services of former Brighton left-back Marc Cucurella this summer, and are also tipped to sign Leandro Trossard in January.

Caicedo, on the other hand, could be a sensible signing keeping in mind that N’Golo Kante has entered the final 12 months of his contract and has not agreed on a new deal yet. His injury issues have also meant that the France international cannot be relied on anymore to play over 50 games a season.

The Ecuadorian international is a combative midfield player who can operate both in a double-pivot midfield or as a solo defensive midfielder. At such a young age, he has won 23 caps for the national team. He has also made a terrific start to this Premier League season, all of it coming under Potter thus far.

So, if Chelsea do fail in agreeing on a new deal with Kante, Caicedo could be an ideal replacement. The 20-year-old has all the time to be a long-term successor to the World Cup winner in the Blues’ midfield.

More Chelsea News:

• Chelsea and Manchester United line up a move for Wolves recruitment chief Matt Hobbs
• Raphinha explains the reason behind rejecting a move to Chelsea in favour of Barcelona
• Thomas Tuchel advised Chelsea starlet Billy Gilmour to join Graham Potter’s Brighton in the summer

Having worked with Potter before, the club could use the manager’s influence to ward off the challenge from Liverpool and attract the interest of the player towards a move to Stamford Bridge. That is, however, only a theory and it remains to be seen if past relations between the two individuals actually factor into any potential future negotiations.