Roberto De Zerbi tells Chelsea to stay away from Moises Caicedo but hints at a swap deal with Levi Colwill
Roberto De Zerbi issues a hands-off warning to Chelsea and insists £100 million Moises Caicedo will start at Brighton next season…
- Roberto De Zerbi has told Chelsea to stay away from midfielder Moises Caicedo
- There is a lot of speculation about the £100 million star’s future at Brighton
- He suggested that a deal could be made if the Blues offered Levi Colwill in an exchange
Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi has told Chelsea to stay away from £100 million star Moises Caicedo, claiming the midfielder will start for the Seagulls next season.
Mail Sport understand Mauricio Pochettino’s side are preparing a bid for the Brighton star and are expected to make a £80m bid after losing interest in Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic.
It comes when Brighton and Chelsea face each other in a pre-season friendly in Philadelphia on Saturday night.
The Blues have already rejected a £70 million bid for the Ecuador international this week, with Brighton keen to keep the 21-year-old candidate after he signed a new contract with the club in March.
De Zerbi admitted that while Caicedo will not be playing in tomorrow’s match, he hoped the Ecuadorian will be in his squad at the start of next season, but admitted the club was preparing for a life without him.
“We have to wait and see what happens with Caicedo,” he said at a press conference on Friday. ‘Then we know what to do. I haven’t spoken to him yet, but of course I want him to stay.
“If he leaves, we have to buy another great player with the same characteristics and qualities. They are hard to find. He’s here, he trained for three days. But he needs time to condition. At the moment there is a possibility that he can leave this window.
‘What’s he worth? It’s not my job to say. But [he will be] very difficult to replace. I have no doubt he will make it if he stays. He’s a great guy. But the market is not closed so we have to wait. He’s not playing against Chelsea tomorrow, he’s not ready yet.’
He added: “At the moment I have not received any news that Caicedo can leave tomorrow or next week. I will definitely start next season with Caicedo in my head in the first team.’
The midfielder, who joined the Seagulls in 2021, recently admitted he would be ‘open to joining Chelsea’ and called the London club a ‘nice team’
It comes after he tried to push through a move to Arsenal earlier this year, but his attempts failed, with Brighton instead pinning him on a new contract until 2027.
He has become a vital member of De Zerbi’s side, notably helping them secure a place in the Europa League after starting in 34 league games last season.
“I spoke to Tony Bloom and he told me that if the circumstances don’t change, Moises will stay with us,” De Zerbi said of the indispensable midfielder’s future.
“It should be great news for me because it’s hard to find another great player.
“If Moises leaves, we’ll have to find another player of the same level.”
That player could be Chelsea academy graduate Colwill. He was loaned to the south coast this season and impressed the Italian so much that he would be willing to part ways with Caicedo in a swap deal with the 20-year-old.
But in an ideal situation, De Zerbi admitted that he would like to have both players in his squad.
The Italian manager said: “There are two questions. Not only about Caicedo, but also about Colwill, and maybe it could be [a swap].’
“I would like to play with Caicedo and Colwill, but at the moment I can only talk about Caicedo as Colwill is not one of my players.”
The English
More to follow…