Liverpool’s Failed Pursuit of Moises Caicedo: The Story Behind Chelsea’s Record-Breaking Deal

Liverpool were on the brink of signing Ecuadorian midfielder Moises Caicedo last month, with a British record £111 million deal agreed with Brighton. However, the Reds were eventually trumped by Chelsea, who secured the signing at £115 million. Now, Caicedo’s agent has revealed that his client “only wanted Chelsea” after the two clubs “fought” for his signature.

Liverpool’s Summer Transfer Window

Liverpool’s approach for Caicedo came somewhat out of the blue after negotiations with Southampton to sign Romeo Lavia had begun to stall. The Reds turned their attention back to Lavia after the Caicedo move fell through, only for the Belgian to also opt for a switch to Stamford Bridge over Anfield. Liverpool then shifted their focus to “multi-functional” midfield options, eventually concluding their summer business with the signing of Ryan Gravenberch from Ajax.

The Agent’s Revelation

Speaking on the Reds’ failed attempts to land the player, Caicedo’s agent Andrea Pellegatti has claimed that his client “only wanted Chelsea” after the two clubs “fought” for his signature.

“£116 million, equivalent to €133 million euros. The result of long work on the player, who quickly progressed in England after moving to Belgium,” Pellegatti told Sport Italia when discussing the eventual deal.

“With De Zerbi, he exploded and then we arrived at Chelsea and Liverpool who fought over it. The amount paid is no accident. It was finalised in the last few hours, but the boy only wanted Chelsea, who had started to express their interest in a consistent manner since January.”

The Impact of Liverpool’s Failed Pursuit

Whether Liverpool will regret allowing the player to slip through their fingers remains to be seen, but the midfielder has made a less-than-impressive start to his Chelsea career so far. Nevertheless, it appears Chelsea’s long-standing interest was enough to get the deal over the line and caused Liverpool to change tack somewhat in the weeks that followed.

It is clear that Liverpool were keen to add another midfield option to their squad this summer, and although they ended up signing four players in this area, it is likely that they would have preferred to have landed Caicedo instead. With the Reds now looking ahead to the January transfer window, it will be interesting to see if they make another attempt to sign the Ecuadorian international.