Chelsea unwilling to meet PL club's £100m demand for transfer target - Reports

Chelsea are reportedly not willing to meet Brighton & Hove Albion's demands of £100 million for the transfer of midfielder Moises Caicedo this summer.

As per The Guardian, the 21-year-old Ecuadorian midfielder has emerged as a priority signing for the Blues, who are keen on strengthening their midfield.

They parted ways with a number of midfielders this summer. Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mateo Kovacic, and N'Golo Kante have all left the club, in what has been a massive squad clearout.

As such, there is a serious need to bring in capable midfield reinforcements ahead of next season. The Blues have identified Caicedo as a suitable option.

The major obstacle standing in the way of Chelsea signing Caicedo, despite the player agreeing personal terms with the Blues, is his club's asking price.

Brighton are currently demanding a hefty transfer fee in the region of £100 million before they would agree to part ways with Caicedo. Chelsea, though, aren't willing to meet such a valuation.

The Seagulls are also said to making reference to Declan Rice's imminent record-breaking transfer to Arsenal, as a benchmark for setting Caicedo's asking price.

The Gunners are close to completing a £105 million transfer for the West Ham United midfielder, making him the most expensive English player in history.

Brighton believe that they also can be able to get a fee within the £100 million bracket for Caicedo, as they consider him on the same level as Rice.

The Ecuador international is widely considered one of the best holding midfield players in the Premier League and has been attracting interest from top clubs. He has made 53 appearances for the Seagulls and also contribute two goals and three assists.

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Midfielders Chelsea could sign in place of Moises Caicedo

Brighton & Hove Albion v Crystal Palace - Premier League

The Blues are currently having a tough time convincing Brighton to part ways with their highly-rated midfielder Caicedo.

The Seagulls are reportedly holding out for a transfer fee of £100 million, a fee that the Blues are said to be unwilling to match at the moment.

Chelsea could turn away from the negotiation table with Brighton. But there aren't many decent holding midfield players in the mold of Caicedo that the Blues could turn to.

They could possibly look at the likes of João Palhinha (Fulham), Sofyan Amrabat (Fiorentina), and Romeo Latvia (Southampton) as possible backup options.

All three aforementioned names could be decent options for Pochettino's midfield. They also wouldn't command a hefty transfer fee like the one currently quoted by Brighton for Caicedo.