Brighton transfer news: Fabrizio Romano makes worrying Moises Caicedo and Chelsea claim amid Liverpool interest

Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo is a wanted man this January transfer window with Chelsea and Liverpool said to be keen

Caicedo, 21, has been excellent for Albion this season and has attracted the attentions of Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle and Real Madrid.

The Ecuador international has formed a formidable midfield partnership with Brighton’s World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister, which has helped Albion to an impressive eighth in the Premier League.

Caicedo joined the Seagulls for around £4m from Independiente del Valle in 2021. He had a loan spell in Belgium at Beerschot but was soon called into the Albion first team and made an immediate impact in the top flight.

He made his debut under Albion’s former boss Graham Potter but his game has reached a higher level since the arrival of new head coach Roberto De Zerbi.

Chelsea however continue to loom in the background and Potter is said to be keen on a reunion with his old charge. The Blues have been in talks with Argentina World Cup winner Enzo Fernández, who is currently at Benfica. Discussions are said to have stalled with the Portuguese club and Romano believes Potter’s team will turn to Caicedo.

"For now, the [Fernández] negotiation is off,” the Italian said on his You Tube channel. “There is no new meeting scheduled, but let’s wait a few days to see how Chelsea reacts.

“Chelsea are now focused on other players; let’s see if they return for Enzo, but they have an eye on other midfielders, one of whom is Moisés Caicedo.”

The Brighton man does not seem in a hurry to leave the south coast, he is enjoying his football and is focussed on helping Brighton reach European qualification.

“We are having a great season with this coach and I am sure we are going to stay up there in the table,” Caicedo said on the Albion website. “We are training very well, are very focused on every match and I’m sure we will take Brighton to a qualification place for the Europa League.”

The midfielder also had words of praise for head coach De Zerbi: “I very much like the way he sets us up,” said Caicedo. “I like to have a lot of touches of the ball and he likes to pass through the central midfielders. If I can get 100 touches I will because I like the ball to go through my feet.

“Sometimes we go long when the opposition come and mark us closely, but it is very rare that he wants us to launch the ball. He wants us to play from the back and if it ends up as a goal he loves that – and us too. We are really enjoying it.