"I think he wants to come here" - Marc Cucurella believes 'top midfielder' wants Chelsea transfer

Marc Cucurella believes his former Brighton & Hove Albion teammate Moises Caicedo wants to move to Chelsea this summer.

Caicedo has emerged as a serious target for Mauricio Pochettino to bolster his midfield ahead of the new season. According to the Athletic, the Blues have had two bids turned down for him by Brighton.

Their latest bid of £70 million without add-ons was rejected by the Seagulls, with the player reportedly keen on moving to west London. Cucurella seems to be in touch with the developments around the Ecuador international's future.

Speaking at a press conference in North Carolina earlier today (July 18), Cucurella was asked to give his views on Caicedo. He said, via Football.London:

"I think he wants to come here, I've read in the media lots of times. I have a good relationship with him, he is a good midfielder and if he comes I think we have a top midfielder for a long time."

Caicedo joined Brighton in the winter transfer window of the 2020-21 season for a fee of £4.5 million. He has since made a name for himself as one of the most complete defensive midfielders in the league.

The Ecuadorian has featured in 53 games across competitions since his move to the south coast. Nine of those came alongside Cucurella in the 2021-22 season before the Spaniard's £63 million move to Stamford Bridge last summer.

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Pochettino tight-lipped amidst Moises Caicedo links with Chelsea

Mauricio Pochettino was also questioned about Moises Caicedo in the press conference today in the USA ahead of the friendly against Wrexham on July 20.

The Argentine coach, however, gave a more conservative response as compared to Marc Cucurella. He said, via the aforementioned source:

"All of the team are working very hard to get what we want. I don't want to speak about specific names. Like us, many clubs are working to sign a player to improve their team."

Chelsea have a need for central midfielders after a mass exodus in that area this summer. N'Golo Kante, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic have departed the club on permanent transfers in recent weeks.

Enzo Fernandez and Conor Gallagher remain as Pochettino's two first-team options in central midfield. It remains to be seen if Andrey Santos (19), Cesare Casadei (20) and Carney Chukwuemeka (19) are given a run in the first team under the Argentine.