Brighton's Moises Caicedo in Carabao Cup action
CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs says that Moises Caicedo did not have a preference of club when he wanted to leave in January, amid Arsenal‘s interest.
The Lowdown: Two bids rejected
It has been reported that Arsenal could go back in for Caicedo in the summer after having two bids rejected by Brighton and Hove Albion in January, the second thought to be worth up to £70m.
They were not the only ones interested in the central midfielder though, with Chelsea also thought to have had a £55m offer rejected.
Caicedo begged Brighton to let him leave late on in the window, after Arsenal’s first offer of £60m was rejected.
The Latest: No preference
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jacobs says that Caicedo did not necessarily have a preference of which club he wanted to join, despite posting on Instagram shortly after Arsenal’s first bid:
“Caicedo, from what I understand, didn’t necessarily have an absolute preference of club. He wanted the move, but he termed it very generically a magnificent opportunity, and that magnificent opportunity started when only Chelsea bid and ended when Arsenal made two bids.
“His head was turned during that whole process, which tells you that it’s more about joining one of the big six than necessarily being overly fixed on a singular club.”
The Verdict: Arsenal should be favourites
Arsenal should be favourites to sign Caicedo over Chelsea in the summer, given that they made the higher bid for the Ecuador international and pursued the ‘terrific athlete‘ right up until Transfer Deadline Day.
Chelsea ended up signing midfielder Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for a British-record fee instead, so they may be unwilling to splash that amount of cash on another midfielder like Caicedo this summer.
The Gunners are also in a better place than the Blues at the moment in terms of the Premier League table, sitting high at the top while their London rivals struggle in ninth.
Nonetheless, if the North Londoners want him, then they should have a clearer path to his signature.
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