Chelsea eyeing up 29-year-old World Cup winner as Moises Caicedo alternative

The Blues are desperate for midfield reinforcements

August 05, 2023 at 11:10 am GMT+1

Chelsea are eyeing up former Mauricio Pochettino favourite Leandro Paredes as they look to move on from Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo this summer.

The Blues remain keen on signing the Ecuadorian midfielder, but have seen four bids turned down already this transfer window and are unwilling to meet Brighton’s £100m price tag, while the Seagulls have remained firm on their price tag.

Having seen Declan Rice move to Arsenal for £105m earlier in the summer, they feel that they can demand a similar amount for Caicedo, who is three years younger and, in their view, of a similar calibre.

It means that the south coast side are now confident of keeping Caicedo for the new season despite having been resigned to letting him go at the end of last season, and with the midfielder contracted until 2027, they will not lose any value by refusing to sell this summer.

Brighton?s Moises Caicedo warms up before playing in the Brighton and Hove Albion v Grimsby Town Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final match at the American Express Community Stadium, Brighton 19th March 2023 2PGJAT6 Brighton?s Moises Caicedo warms up before playing in the Brighton and Hove Albion v Grimsby Town Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final match at the American Express Community Stadium, Brighton 19th March 2023 (Alamy Stock Photo)

It has forced Chelsea to look elsewhere, with the Blues desperate for midfield reinforcements ahead of the new season following the departures of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho, Mason Mount and N’Golo Kante across the past six months.

As per the London Evening Standard, one of those that they have identified is PSG’s Paredes. The 29-year-old has just 12 months left to run on his contract in the French capital and has worked with compatriot Pochettino before during their time together at PSG.

He is part of the ‘undesirables’ at the Parc des Princes, who were left out of the pre-season tour of south east asia, a group which includes the likes of former Liverpool man Georginio Wijnaldum, Julian Draxler and Kylian Mbappe. As a result, he would likely be available at a reasonable fee.

Paredes is one of several players being weighed up by the Blues, with Leeds United’s Tyler Adams another option, though one-time transfer target Edson Alvarez appears to be set for a move to West Ham this summer.