Arsenal: Brighton reject £60m Caicedo bid

The Athletic’s David Ornstein says that Arsenal have had their £60m bid for central midfielder Moises Caicedo rejected by Brighton and Hove Albion.

The Lowdown: Bid made

As per journalist Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal have submitted a £60m for Caicedo, and are ‘pushing’ to sign him before the end of the month.

He adds that talks are into the ‘key stages’, after Chelsea already had a £55m verbal proposal rejected earlier this month. Liverpool and Newcastle have also been linked.

The Latest: Latest update

Taking to Twitter shortly after Romano’s news, Ornstein gave a further update on the situation, saying that the bid has been rejected by Brighton, adding that ‘interest remains’ despite the Seagulls insisting that Caicedo is ‘not for sale’:

“Brighton & Hove have rejected a bid of £60m fixed from Arsenal for Moises Caicedo. #AFC targeting Ecuador int’l to strengthen midfield + interest remains, despite #BHAFC insisting 21yo is not for sale.”

The Verdict: Get it done

Given Mikel Arteta’s concern over the longevity of Mohamed Elneny’s latest injury, and the fact that Thomas Partey has been injury-prone in the past, the Gunners could leave themselves too short in central midfield from now until the end of the season if they do not sign one in this window.

If Partey were to get injured as well, that would leave the Spaniard with just Granit Xhaka and Albert Sambi Lokonga to call upon in his squad in terms of natural options.

Caicedo has been one of the standout performers for a Brighton team sitting in the European places in the Premier League table ahead of the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea, as none of his team-mates can match his average of 2.9 tackles per game, while he also ranks highly for interceptions, key passes, long and through balls (WhoScored).

The Ecuador international should be able to settle in at the Emirates Stadium quickly given his top-flight experience, but it looks as if the North Londoners will have to pay a little more to get their man.