Chelsea have seen an offer worth £70m for Moises Caicedo rejected by Brighton & Hove Albion, sources have confirmed to 90min.
The Ecuador international is now the Blues' top midfield target, with the west London side seeking reinforcements in that area after losing N'Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount already this transfer window.
They have long admired Caicedo, who is coming off the back of an outstanding breakout season at Brighton, helping them reach Europe for the first time in the club's history. Chelsea have done their due diligence and believe he is the perfect option to bolster their midfield.
90min revealed earlier this month that personal terms are not expected to be an issue as Caicedo is keen on making the move to Stamford Bridge and he has spoken publicly of his desire to join.
However, Chelsea have seen a £70m bid knocked back by Brighton - an offer which has been deemed 'miles away' from their £100m by club sources.
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Brighton believe that Caicedo should fetch a figure in the same realm as the £105m that West Ham United received from Arsenal for Declan Rice.
The Seagulls insist that there is a possibility Caicedo, who signed a new four-year contract back in March, could yet stay on the south coast this summer.
Chelsea will face Brighton in a pre-season friendly in the US on Saturday as part of the Premier League Summer Series. Their clash in Philadelphia will serve as Mauricio Pochettino's first game in charge of the Blues.
LISTEN NOW TO 90MIN'S TALKING TRANSFERS PODCAST
On this week's edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders is joined by Toby Cudworth and Graeme Bailey to discuss Brighton rejecting Chelsea's bid for Moises Caicedo, Man City closing in on Josko Gvardiol, Harry Maguire's uncertain Man Utd future and more!
If you can't see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!
This article was originally published on 90min as Brighton reject Chelsea's £70m bid for Moises Caicedo.