According to Dailymail, Arsenal reportedly offered £60 million for Moises Caicedo but Brighton have rejected the bid and are holding out for another £20 million in order to sanction his exit. It is understood that the 21-year-old will be handing over a transfer request in order to force through a move to either the Gunners or Chelsea before the transfer deadline next week.
Caicedo’s Impressive Run Of Form In The Premier League This Season
Caicedo has had a brilliant campaign with the Seagulls so far as he has put in some influential displays defensively in the middle of the park. The Ecuadorian midfielder has found the back of the net on one occasion and picked up an assist over eighteen appearances for the Seagulls so far this season.
The Santo Domingo-born sensation has been reliable in the centre of the park as he has averaged 2.9 tackles, 1.4 interceptions, 2.6 long balls and 1.1 key passes per game in the Premier League. He has also been accurate with his ball distribution after completing 87.9% of his attempted passes in the English top flight (stats via whoscored).
Should Arsenal Boss Mikel Arteta Look Elsewhere?
Caicedo has a strong defensive presence in the midfield areas; as he can make some clever interceptions and doesn’t mind putting his foot into a tackle. He excels at marking the opposition attackers and does well to win the ball back for his side. Furthermore, standing at just 1.78 meters he can surprisingly dominate his opponents in aerial duels.
Caicedo would be a decent fit for Mikel Arteta’s midfield department as he can add more bite and steel to the central areas. However, negotiating further for him would be futile as Roberto De Zerbi isn’t keen on letting his prized asset leave in the middle of the season.
Paying in the region of £70 million in order to convince them doesn’t make sense as Arteta already has valuable players in his midfield department. The Spanish tactician could certainly try to bring him to the Emirates Stadium if they make an irrefutable offer but assessing other options that could have the same impact as Caicedo would do them no harm before going all in for the youngster.
