Liverpool has reached an agreement with Brighton and Hove Albion for the Premier League record-setting 110 million pounds ($140m) acquisition of Moises Caicedo, surpassing the highest British transfer fee to date, reports said on Friday morning.
The transfer of Caicedo to Merseyside will see Liverpool break the record set by Chelsea in January for the signing of Enzo Fernandez from Benfica, which was for a reported 106.8 million pounds.
The decision followed a bidding war that ended at midnight on Thursday, with the Merseyside club outpacing Chelsea’s ã100m offer for the talented 21-year-old midfielder, according to the Athletic.
While personal terms remain under negotiation between Caicedo and Liverpool, it is generally anticipated that the discussions will proceed smoothly, leading to a medical, which has been scheduled for Friday.
For a while, Chelsea appeared to be leading the race for Caicedo. However, Liverpool stayed competitive, ultimately getting the transfer done that would exceed the club’s previous record of ã75m for Virgil van Dijk.
Liverpool’s move to secure Caicedo comes as a response to the recent exits in the midfield in the form of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson to the Saudi Pro League.
All summer, Chelsea has been trying to bring Caicedo aboard to fill the gaps left by the departures of Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Other players on Chelsea’s shortlist include Romeo Lavia from Southampton, who has also attracted interest from Liverpool, and Tyler Adams from Leeds United.
Earlier, Brighton transferred Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool, who was the midfield partner of Caicedo. Consequently, Liverpool now has a formidable duo to challenge their rivals in the next season of the Europa League. This should add an interesting dynamic when Chelsea hosts Liverpool in their Premier League match on Sunday.
Following this, Brighton is set to launch their Premier League season at home against Luton Town on Saturday.
