Chelsea may have made Moises Caicedo blunder after signing ‘Brighton’s replac…

Chelsea may have inadvertently scuppered their chances of signing Brighton’s Moises Caicedo after boldly finalising a deal for one of their targets to replace the £100million-rated star.  Mauricio Pochettino has made it clear he wants to sign one midfielder before the season starts, and the Blues boss may get his wish with the imminent arrival of Lesley Ugochukwu. But the Argentinian boss may not be too pleased if it means costing him the chance to sign Caicedo. The west London club have made two public bids for Caicedo that have fallen below Brighton’s 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 their new bid , a decision left Caicedo’s camp with ‘a sense of disbelief’, although talks are ongoing between the clubs over a suitable deal. But now it could be Brighton left scratching their heads after watching Chelsea snatch one of their potential replacements for the Ecuadorian. Roberto De Zerbi’s side had lined up Ugochukwu as a long-term successor for Caicedo if they agreed a fee with Chelsea. As it happens, the west London club have now moved to add the 19-year-old to their growing pool of talented players under the age of 21. Moises Caicedo: The Brighton star could be denied his dream move to Chelsea. (Image: Getty) Ugochukwu has already undergone a medical ahead of signing a long-term contract to finalise his £26m switch to Stamford Bridge from Rennes. In wrapping up one transfer, Chelsea could have killed the one they wanted most. All hope hasn’t been lost just yet. Almost like a game of Monopoly, Chelsea have acquired the property Brighton want and could dangle it in front of their eyes to reduce the price of the most expensive property on the board – Caicedo – to a smaller cost. For Brighton, the prospect of getting a valuable asset, in addition to a fee which would guarantee a healthy profit on the £4.5m they paid for Caicedo, surely isn’t something they can turn down. But reports suggest Ugochukwu could be sent to Strasbourg to continue his footballing education, rather than the South Coast, and such a plan could wreck Chelsea’s chances of acquiring the Ecuadorian. Lesley Ugochukwu: The Rennes starlet is joining Chelsea for £23.5m. (Image: Getty)