Liverpool’s Failed Pursuit of Moises Caicedo: Agent Reveals Player “Only Wanted Chelsea”
Liverpool’s summer pursuit of Ecuadorian midfielder Moises Caicedo fell through, and now his agent has revealed that the player “only wanted Chelsea” after the two clubs “fought” for his signature. The Blues eventually won out and secured the signing at £115 million, making it the most expensive transfer in British football history.
At one stage, Liverpool looked set to sign the player after agreeing a £111 million deal with Brighton last month. However, after weeks of negotiations with Chelsea had failed to result in a transfer, the London club went on to trump Liverpool’s offer.
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.”
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.
Wataru Endo arrived from Stuttgart a few weeks later for £16 million before the club shifted their focus to “multi-functional” midfield options. The summer business was concluded when Ryan Gravenberch became the fourth midfield acquisition of the window, but his long-term role within the side remains uncertain.
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. Whether the Reds 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.
Overall, Liverpool’s failed pursuit of Moises Caicedo has been revealed by his agent as being due to the player’s preference for Chelsea. The Blues eventually secured the signing at £115 million, making it the most expensive transfer in British football history. While Liverpool have since moved on to other midfield options, it remains to be seen if they will regret allowing Caicedo to slip through their fingers.