Moises Caicedo: Arsenal rejected £60m bid for Brighton midfielder

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Ecuadorian international Moises Caicedo represented his country in the 2022 World Cup

Brighton have rejected a £60m bid from Arsenal for midfielder Moises Caicedo.

The Premier League leaders are keen to strengthen their squad after Mohamed Elneny suffered an injury in training that could mean he is sidelined for a long time.

Arsenal already has a small squad and manager Mikel Arteta does not want to jeopardize his team’s title challenge due to a lack of numbers.

Brighton has reportedly already rejected a £55m overseas link from Chelsea for 21-year-old Caicedo.

The Seagulls sold Marc Cucurella to Chelsea in a £60m deal, Yves Bisuma to Tottenham for £25m plus add-ons and Neil Maupay to Everton for £15m in the summer.

Earlier this month, Leandro Trossard left them to join Arsenal for an initial £21m, and Brighton have no financial reason to sell Caicedo.

Given that they are currently sixth in the table, with the possibility of moving up to fifth if they win their held game at Tottenham, they don’t want to sell the Ecuadorean international either.

Caicedo has made 26 appearances in the Premier League, scoring two goals and is under contract until 2025.

However, talks are still ongoing and Arsenal are expected to return with another offer, but it remains to be seen if Caicedo, who recently changed agents, will try to exit the club before the window closes on Tuesday night.

Brighton manager Roberto De Zerby told a news conference on Friday that the midfielder was “relaxed” and “only focused on Brighton”.

The Italian said: “I spoke to him as a father, not as a coach.

“I hope he can stay with us until the end of the season because my idea/opinion is the best solution for him and us.”

“I’m focused on Brighton,” Caicedo said recently. “I’m here, I play every day. Things from the outside don’t bother me, they don’t take that focus away because I’m only focused here.

“I deal [the speculation] we will. You hear rumors here and there, but I’m just trying to focus on the club.”

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