Chelsea get one over Brighton in Caicedo transfer twist after £80m bid rejected

Chelsea could finally gain their revenge on Brighton for blocking their move for Moises Caicedo as the midfielder continues to be denied his dream move to Stamford Bridge. The Blues saw their latest bid for the Seagulls star turned down on Thursday as Mauricio Pochettino desperately tries to sign a midfielder, but the club appear to have found a cheaper signing that could force Brighton back to the negotiating table as Caicedo considers his options. The west London club have made two public bids for Caicedo that have fallen below Brighton’s £100million valuation for the highly-rated midfielder. Chelsea’s first bid was £70m, which was quickly rejected, before they returned with an improved offer of £80m this week. Brighton swiftly turned down the new bid, which would have smashed the club’s record sale achieved when they sold Marc Cucurella to Chelsea last summer. That decision left Caicedo’s camp with ‘a sense of disbelief’, although talks are ongoing between the clubs over a suitable deal. According to London World , Roberto De Zerbi’s side had lined up Lesley Ugochukwu as a long-term replacement for Caicedo if they agreed a fee with Chelsea. Moises Caicedo: The Brighton star is wanted by Chelsea. (Image: Getty) But they have been beaten to the punch by the London club, who on Saturday finalised a £23.5m fee with Ligue 1 outfit Rennes for the exciting youngster. The 19-year-old could now join Strasbourg on loan or link up with the Chelsea squad, with the exact plan after his expected arrival not yet put into place. Either way, it represents a huge blow to Brighton’s contingency plans. While it has been claimed by Fabrizio Romano that Ugochukwu’s capture is not linked to Caicedo’s future, they now must look at alternative targets to bring in and face the possibility of losing both players to their top-flight counterparts. That could rule out a scenario that would see the young Frenchman Ugochukwu head to the Amex Stadium on loan, just like Levi Colwill did for the 2022-23 season. Lesley Ugochukwu: The Rennes starlet is on the brink of joining Chelsea. (Image: Getty)