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Chelsea face awkward Moises Caicedo meeting as Brighton demand £100m for star
Chelsea want to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton and there could be a frosty encounter coming up between the three parties.
Pochettino states aims for Chelsea after taking over as manager
Chelsea are locked in negotiations with Brighton after seeing their first bid for Moises Caicedo turned down and there is a feeling that something will have to give to get the deal over the line. Mauricio Pochettino is keen to sign the midfielder this summer but the Seagulls' £100million asking price is proving to be a sticking point in talks, and the issue of an upcoming encounter between the sides could cause some awkwardness for both managers.
The west London club are spending pre-season in the United States with fixtures against Wrexham, Newcastle, Fulham and Borussia Dortmund all taking place on American soil. They are also set to face Brighton as part of their friendly schedule, but there is no guarantee the game will be 'friendly' in nature as the clubs remain in talks for Caicedo.
Brighton have also made it clear they want to sign Levi Colwill this summer, despite Chelsea's insistence he will not be sold, and their dealings could make for a feisty affair when the teams meet at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on July 27.
Caicedo is said to have his 'heart set' on a move to Stamford Bridge after being told by his club that he would be allowed to leave this summer if a suitable bid arrived, with Roberto De Zerbi admitting he expects the 21-year-old to depart.
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Chelsea had hoped that £70m would be enough to encourage Brighton to entertain a sale, but it appears they will need to improve their bid in order to thrash out a deal for Caicedo, with a second bid worth £80m reportedly set to be submitted.
Pochettino has made it clear he appreciates the club's efforts to bring in the players he needs, but there is a slight frustration on the Argentinian's part that Caicedo is not one of the players in his squad for their pre-season tour of the United States.
Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku and Malo Gusto are the new faces in training at their base in North Carolina - and Jackson is the only signing made so far that will be part of the first team this season.
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While talks continue for the Ecuadorian, Pochettino will have to make do with the players at his disposal. He has already suffered a double injury blow of losing Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile to injury, with Fofana ruled out for several months after suffering an ACL injury.
And with his midfield looking increasingly short of depth after the quartet of N'Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount and Ruben Loftus-Cheek departed, Pochettino could do with Caicedo's box-to-box presence to plug the gaps.
Only time will tell if Chelsea can get the deal done this summer, and if Caicedo remains with Brighton for their clash in eight days' time, the pre-match build-up is likely to dominated by questions surrounding his involvement.
Pochettino, of course, will hope that will not be the case as he aims to bring the midfielder into his squad as soon as possible.