Chelsea given price tag for Potter to sign Brighton general Caicedo

Chelsea will have to fork out £85million if they are to reunite with Moises Caicedo with his former coach Graham Potter at Stamford Bridge, according to reports. The Blues are said to be one of three clubs interested in the Brighton midfielder, but his exorbitant price tag could throw a spanner in the works of a second spell working under Potter.The Ecuadorian was one of the standout performers as the Seagulls blew away Chelsea 4-1 at the Amex Stadium, handing Potter his first defeat since leaving Brighton to the take job in west London. Leandro Trossard and Pascal Gross, in addition to own goals from Blues pair Trevoh Chalobah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, did the damage despite Kai Havertz’s consolation.The 20-year-old, signed for just £4.5m from Independiente del Valle in February 2020, has experienced a meteoric rise since joining Brighton and is now considered a regular feature in the side. He is also being tracked by Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United this summer but no move materialised, with Brighton reluctant to sell.The tireless midfielder was signed by Potter after extensive scouting from his recruitment team and his value has skyrocketed after some impressive displays, bossing the central areas with strong tackling and accurate passing.READ MORE: Man Utd and Liverpool learn eye-watering price to sign Caicedo Graham Potter: The Chelsea head coach is reportedly keen on a former player of his (Image: Getty Images)Ironically, it was Potter who claimed that, when Caicedo was linked with Liverpool for a speculated fee of £42m, it would only be enough to acquire “one of his legs” and insisted that clubs would have to pay £100m for Caicedo.According to The Mirror, the figure is actually closer to £85m as Chelsea search for a long-term replacement for N’Golo Kante. The Frenchman is out of contract at the end of the season and a serious hamstring injury has ruled him out until the New Year, with no indication a renewal will be agreed.And that has perhaps persuaded Potter to begin looking for a holding midfielder, with doubts also circulating over Jorginho’s long-term future, with the Italian also out of contract in June 2023. Caicedo, along with Jude Bellingham and Edson Alvarez, is thought to be one of his top targets.DON’T MISSChelsea ‘shortlist four stars’ to replace Kante in the January windowChelsea boss Potter ‘loves’ different Brighton star to CaicedoCaicedo has hinted he’d pick Man Utd over Chelsea or Liverpool Moises Caicedo: The Brighton starlet impressed against his former boss (Image: Getty Images)