11 August 2023 , 06:59
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Liverpool have agreed a British record fee of £110m for Moises Caicedo - after a dramatic transfer played out through a remarkable night.
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp is yet to speak to the Ecuador international, and no personal terms have been agreed with the midfielder, but the Anfield club now find themselves in pole position to sign Caicedo after an astonishing show of strength in the transfer market.
Brighton had set a deadline of midnight on Thursday for interested parties to submit their final offers for the player, and Liverpool were reluctant to bid, as they felt Caicedo was only interested in joining Chelsea.
But late into the night they received encouragement to make a formal offer from the player’s representatives, as Brighton effectively conducted an auction. Liverpool’s bid, which is based on achievement-related bonuses, could rise to the £110m figure which represents a British record, and exceeded Chelsea’s offer of £100m.
Brighton accepted the offer deep into the night and at around 3am the Merseyside club submitted paperwork to ensure they got the process underway swiftly to cut off any late surprises.
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Caicedo was immediately booked to have a medical, and will travel to Merseyside on Friday morning to begin the process - and remarkably to open negotiations with a club he has not previously spoken to.
It is understood Reds boss Jurgen Klopp will speak to the player on Friday morning, and is hoping to conduct negotiations swiftly, allowing him to sign the agreement by the end of the day if there are no problems with the medical.
Brighton star Moises Caicedo is on the brink of joining Liverpool (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images for Premier League)If it goes through it represents a massive coup for Liverpool, who have pursued the player at a distance all summer, but had decided not to enter any auction because of the feeling the player was set on joining Chelsea.
That changed late on Thursday night though, and allowed Liverpool to make their astonish late night bid, gazumping Chelsea in the final minutes before midnight.
While Klopp is now hoping to push the deal through swiftly, Caicedo is highly unlikely to sign in time to become available for Liverpool’s opening Premier League game of the season… ironically at Chelsea on Sunday.