The powers that be at Premier League table-toppers Arsenal have, late on Sunday, been afforded something of a boost in their ongoing pursuit of Brighton & Hove Albion star Moises Caicedo.
The name of Ecuadorian international Caicedo has of course found its place front and centre in the media headlines across the week to date.
This comes after confirmation was forthcoming that, amid long-standing interest in his services on the part of Chelsea, fellow capital giants Arsenal had too joined the hunt for the midfielder’s signature.
In fact, the Gunners went as far as to table an opening offer for Caicedo, coming in around the £60 million mark.
The powers that be at Brighton, for their part, opted to swiftly reject the proposal, without so much as a 2nd thought.
Caicedo, however, subsequently moved to take matters into his own hands.
In nothing short of a bombshell for all associated with Brighton, the club’s midfield jewel released a public statement across social media, confirming his desire to move on at the earliest opportunity.
Such efforts of course marked a major boost for Arsenal, desperate to secure engine room reinforcements on the back of the injury suffered by Thomas Partey on Friday night.
And now, as alluded to above, Mikel Arteta and co. have been handed yet further encouragement in their Caicedo pursuit.
This comes by way of the latest comments on the part of none other than Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi.
The Seagulls, to this point, have remained unwavering in the stance that their Ecuadorian sensation will be going absolutely nowhere before the month is out.
But, late on Saturday, De Zerbi has hinted that a sale, in fact, is not completely out of the question.
Speaking to the media after watching his side send Liverpool packing from the FA Cup, the Italian tactician was inevitably asked for the latest on Caicedo’s future.
And though he made clear his hope that the 21-year-old will ultimately stay put, De Zerbi was not shy in admitting that ‘we are ready to go forward without him’, if needs be.
“Caicedo is a very, very good guy.
“I can understand because when you are 21 and you have a request from a big team, they are playing in Europe.
“I would like him to finish the season with us. But we are ready to go forward without him - I think we need some players in some positions.
“I spoke a lot with [Brighton chairman] Tony [Bloom], he knows very well my opinion. We are a good team but we can improve from the transfer window.
“We lost [Leandro] Trossard and if we also lose Caicedo, it can be a problem for us if we want to fight for Europe.”
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