Liverpool Enter Formal Negotiations for Caicedo with Player Open to Move

It’s been just about 24 hours since Liverpool fans were told that the club’s long-running pursuit of Roméo Lavia may have hit a snag in the form of a Chelsea bid for the 19-year-old Southampton defensive midfielder.

What happened after that, though, is the real story today, with reports emerging that Liverpool were in turn attempting to sign long-running Chelsea target Moises Caicedo and may have even submitted a bid for him.

As things stand tonight, reports from multiple journalists with ties to the club say the Reds are now in formal negotiations for the player, with an offer potentially exceeding £100M on the table for the 21-year-old Ecuadorian.

On the Chelsea end there had been claims throughout the day that the London club remained favourites, but recent reports including from Sky’s Melissa Reddy suggest it may in fact be Liverpool now leading for his signature.

Meanwhile, Brighton want the deal wrapped up before the weekend and are said to intend to sell to the highest bidder, though there are whispers they would rather deal with Liverpool due to good relations between clubs.

The consensus in recent weeks had Caicedo with his heart set on a Chelsea move, but delays in getting a deal done for their top midfield target opened the window for Liverpool to potentially pull off an all-time gazumping.

Whatever happens next, the Reds’ interest is by all accounts real, the funds to complete the deal in place, and the player at least open enough to the idea for the club to believe it’s worth submitting a gargantuan bid for him.