Liverpool have not given up on their pursuit of Moisés Caicedo.
But there is grim realism in the corridors of power at Anfield that Chelsea will sign the young midfielder if they convince football authorities their finances are in line with tough new spending rules.
On a day of drama when Brighton agreed a UK record transfer fee of £110m for the 21-year-old for the Merseyside club, some opaque behind-the-scenes maneuvering left Reds boss Jurgen Klopp bitterly disappointed and frustrated.
The Mirror understands Liverpool’s bid for the Ecuador international only materialized after receiving encouragement from the player’s camp, suggesting Caicedo would be keen to join the club should the offer be accepted.
Wages were thought not to be an issue despite no terms being agreed or formal negotiations taking place, but advice from his representatives left Klopp confident he would see the transfer go through the border.
It all came down to late Thursday night and by 3am Liverpool were far enough along to officially start the contract signing process after Brighton confirmed their bid on Chelsea’s offer had been accepted.
Officially, no medical examination was scheduled but negotiations with the players’ agent were due to start on Friday morning, with Klopp ready to speak to Caicedo in person.
However,
it became worrying for the club at Anfield that there were problems and their representatives eventually and belatedly clarified that Chelsea were still the prime target..
. leaving the manager red-faced after being forced to lay down questions about “commitment”. to respond at a scheduled weekly press conference.
However, Liverpool are still awaiting the outcome of Chelsea’s attempts to prove to both FIFA and the Premier League that their spending spree over the past eight months complies with the rules of fair play, profit-making and sustainability. national league.
An additional £110million on top of most of the £800million owner Todd Boehly has spent since January would be hard to justify under the strict rules – which followed Chelsea’s wise decision to award players contracts that could go up to nine years for breaking the rules to undermine, have been updated.
It leaves Liverpool in limbo, but they are still negotiating with Southampton for their promising young midfielder Romeo Lavia, and have the likes of French international Khephren Thuram and Dutchman Ryan Gravenberch on their radar.
