Moises Caicedo waiting on Chelsea after Liverpool confirm transfer

Chelsea’s hopes of landing Moises Caicedo are not dead in the water despite Liverpool seeing their record-breaking offer accepted by Brighton & Hove Albion.

Jurgen Klopp’s side leapfrogged the Blues in the race to sign the Ecuador international with an eye-watering £110 million bid, leaving the London outfit’s £100m in the dust.

However, the Reds’ idea of reuniting Alexis Mac Allister and Caicedo at Anfield is in tatters as the 21-year-old has second thoughts about moving to Merseyside, reports Dharmesh Sheth.

Caicedo and his entourages are still in London awaiting Chelsea’s response, with the highly-rated midfielder pledging his future to Stamford Bridge in a verbal agreement struck over a month ago.

According to Ben Jacob’s major update, Chelsea reached out to the player’s camp this morning to ask for more time to find a way to regain control of this transfer tug-of-war.

Despite Liverpool hijacking Mauricio Pochettino’s interest in the former Independiente del Valle starlet, the player has yet to take off to Anfield for his medical scheduled for Friday.

The Reds’ outrageous bid for Caicedo came out of the blue, given Klopp has been considering Southampton’s Romeo Lavia an ideal midfield reinforcement for most of the summer.

But Chelsea are now the new frontrunners to seal the youngster’s signature after recently submitting an offer worth €48m, encouraged by Liverpool’s three rejected proposals.

Unlike Caicedo, who looks hellbent on moving to the Bridge, Lavia has yet to disclose his preference, leaving both avenues wide open.

If Liverpool fail to agree personal terms with the Ecuadorian, they could reignite their pursuit of the ex-Manchester City teenager, as Klopp needs to address the shortage of numbers in the engine room.

Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain and Naby Keita are all gone, with Thiago Alcantara emerging as the next candidate to empty a midfield slot at Anfield.

Using Mac Allister as a bargaining chip to convince Caicedo to rebuff Chelsea’s approach could be Liverpool’s last-ditch attempt to get the deal over the line.