Chelsea have agreed a deal worth a possible £115million to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton, Football Mad understands.
Brighton will receive £100m up front with a further £15m in add-ons as the long-running transfer saga appears finally to be coming to an end.
Chelsea are confident that they are not paying above market value for a player who has been the subject of an intense struggle between themselves and Liverpool in the last week, with the Reds tabling a surprise bid believed to be in the region of £111m.
Caicedo is understood to have favoured a move to Stamford Bridge over Merseyside, but Chelsea had until now appeared reluctant to match Brighton owner Tony Bloom’s valuation of the player.
That impasse has now been broken with the club having agreed a fee that is likely to at least match the British transfer record they paid to sign Enzo Fernandez from Benfica in January.
PA understands that of the agreed add-ons, half are deemed easily achievable whereas the rest will be more difficult for Brighton to activate.
Caicedo is due to undergo a medical and sign the deal that will likely elevate him to the most expensive player ever signed by an English club.
Chelsea’s pursuit of the 21-year-old started in earnest in January but they were ultimately reluctant to match Brighton’s valuation, with the saga rumbling on until the current window during which he had made it known to his club he wishes to depart.
Liverpool’s interest in the last few days – and Brighton’s acceptance of the club’s bid – had made Chelsea’s situation more urgent, but the Stamford Bridge hierarchy are satisfied that the deal struck is reflective of Caicedo’s value.
The teams drew 1-1 at Stamford Bridge on Sunday in manager Mauricio Pochettino’s first game in charge since being appointed in June.
