Liverpool set to shatter Premier League record with blockbuster Moises Caicedo transfer hijack
Liverpool are set to make Premier League history with Moises Caicedo transfer swoop
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Liverpool are set to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton for a Premier League record transfer fee of £110million.
The Ecuador international had been expected to move to Chelsea, with the Blues making the midfielder a priority target.
But Liverpool mamaged to hijack Mauricio Pochettino's side overnight and the player will be heading to Anfield instead.
Liverpool decided to go over the asking price, which was originally £105m, in order to secure the player's signature.
Moises Caicedo had been expected to leave Brighton for Chelsea before Liverpool transfer swoop
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Personal terms are yet to be agreed but are expected to be a formality, with the 21-year-old's agent in London last night.
Jurgen Klopp's side are expected to give Caicedo a higher salary than Chelsea, though figures aren't known just yet.
While Chelsea had previously been frontrunners in the race to acquire the Brighton star, Liverpool had always monitored Caicedo's situation from afar.
Having switched focus away from Southampton's Romeo Lavia, they then decided to hijack their Premier League rivals and strike a deal.
Caicedo will follow Alexis Mac Allister, with the Argentina international swapping Brighton for Liverpool earlier in the summer.
Liverpool have also bolstered their midfield by recruiting Dominik Szoboszlai from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig.
Chelsea aren't expected to make another bid for Caicedo, despite their admiration of the Ecuador star.
And it's feasible they'll now go for Lavia, having had a bid for the Southampton star turned down on Thursday.
Caicedo will travel to Merseyside for a medical in Liverpool today.
It's possible an announcement will be made in the next 24 hours, ahead of the new Premier League season.
And Caicedo might even be able to make a debut for the club, ironically against Chelsea, when the teams lock horns on Sunday.
Brighton's CEO Paul Barber had previously hinted that he would rebuff offers for Caicedo.
He told Sky Sports: "For a young player like Moises at 21, he’s probably one of the best midfield players in the world already at his age, and we’ve had a fantastic time working with him.
"And we want it to continue, we’ve got him under a long contract.
"We’re also realistic to know there is interest in him.
"As a young man, that interest is inevitably going to have an impact on your thought process and unsettle you a little bit.
"We understand that. But for now, he’s a Brighton player, he’s under contract.
"We expect him to work hard, prepare for the new season and we’ll see what happens as the window goes on.”
Brighton may have already signed their replacement for Caicedo.
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Moises Caicedo is set to follow former Brighton star Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool
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Mahmoud Dahoud joined the club on a free transfer earlier this summer following the expiry of his contract at Borussia Dortmund.