Arsenal need cover in the centre of their midfield for the remainder of the 2022/23 campaign and have singled out Caicedo as the man to provide it.
The Ecuador international has limited Premier League experience but has all the makings of a high-quality midfielder.
Arsenal’s first bid of £60m was rejected on Friday, with a £70m deal also being swiftly turned down on Sunday.
Brighton have been adamant since Arsenal made an opening bid of £60m on Friday that Caicedo is not for sale, but De Zerbi gave some hope on Sunday that their stance could soften:
“I would like that he can finish the season with us, but we are ready to go forward without him,” he said after Brighton beat Liverpool 2-1 in the FA Cup. “We are a good team but we can also improve from the transfer market.”
The player himself, meanwhile, posted on social media on Friday that he wanted to leave the Amex:
Now, as per the Evening Standard, Arsenal are preparing to make a third bid for the Brighton star.
A fee of around £80m is expected to test the Seagulls’ resolve and would also see the Gunners break their current transfer record of £72m, which was paid to Lille for Nicolas Pepe.
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