Chelsea complete the signing of Moises Caicedo from Brighton for British record fee of £115million

Moises Caicedo has completed his move to Chelsea from Brighton in what is a British record transfer.

The midfielder has joined the Blues on an eight-year contract and while the fee is undisclosed, talkSPORT understands it’s £115million.

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Caicedo is now the third most expensive player ever with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe’s moves to Paris Saint-Germain for £198million and £163million respectively the only higher fees.

He only signed for Brighton from Ecuador outfit Independiente del Valle in 2021 but has made a huge impression on some of the Premier League’s elite.

The Ecuador international was linked with Chelsea as well as Arsenal in the January transfer window but a move didn’t materialise.

Despite signing a new long-term deal with Brighton in March, the 21-year-old has now got his wish and sealed a move to Stamford Bridge.

The Blues had been in negotiations with Brighton throughout much of the summer and saw three bids rejected.

Liverpool then reached an £111million agreement for Caicedo but Chelsea encouraged him to stall on a medical as they prepared another move. A deal was finally agreed on Sunday and the player passed his medical at the club the next day.

Brighton technical director David Weir said: “Chelsea are getting one of the top midfielders in the world. Moises has been one of our exceptional players over the past 18 months.

“We’d like to thank him for his performances for us, which helped this team to two record finishes in the Premier League, and we wish him well for the future.”

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While Seagulls chairman Tony Bloom added: “Moises expressed a strong desire to move on, and at that point it was crucial our valuation was met in full.

“I’d like to thank him for his exceptional performances for the club, and I wish him all the best going forward.”

Chelsea’s spending has now almost reached £300million for the summer with a little over two weeks until the window shuts.

Caicedo is also the third player to move from Brighton to west London since last summer after Marc Cucurella and Robert Sanchez.

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He follows stars including Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson and Axel Disasi, who scored on his debut in the 1-1 draw against Liverpool.

Following a dismal campaign that saw them finish 12th last term, it comes as no surprise that Chelsea have been active in the market once again.

Last season their spending totalled to around £600million across two windows, with the Blues’ owners spending big once again.

Caicedo is the second player they have paid nine figures for over the past year after Enzo Fernandez’s £106.8million move from Benfica.

The duo are now set to form an exciting midfield pairing at Chelsea with their new era under Mauricio Pochettino now well underway.

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