Brighton Star is one of the hottest players ahead of the transfer window
With Chelsea looking to replace N'Golo Kante, it's no surprise they are eyeing Moises Caicedo.
The Brighton midfielder grew up as a fan of Kante, who will leave Chelsea for Al-Ittihad from Saudi Arabia this summer.
Caicedo watched Kante's videos and studied how he presses the ball. Obviously, hard work pays off. Only Fulham's Joao Palinha managed to make more tackles in the Premier League last season.
Disruptive players are what Chelsea's midfield screams for, but Caicedo offers so much more. The 21-year-old's other idol is Paul Pogba and like Kante, Caicedo learned the game by watching videos.
He was blown away by Pogba's ball skills and creativity. It's an element that improves Caicedo, and last season he was seventh in the league for total assists.
The Ecuadorian sees himself as a "smart" player who knows when to attack and when to defend. This is what makes him so versatile and he even replaced Brighton's right-back towards the end of last season.
Both Arsenal and Chelsea are interested in Caicedo and his versatility is what makes him so attractive. Manager Mikel Arteta is targeting players who can play in a variety of positions and there is belief Caicedo could play in the heart of midfield or further forward as one of Arsenal's two No8s. Declan Rice is the Gunners' main transfer target but it is possible to sign him and Caicedo.
However, such an outlay could cost Arsenal nearly £200 million, and getting there would require a significant sales fund, not least because the team also needs reinforcements in other areas.
Brighton turned down two bids from Arsenal for Caicedo in January, with the second bid costing around £70 million.
The 21-year-old has signed a new contract with the Seagulls which will cost around £70m this summer.
Brighton are in a good position with interest from Arsenal and Chelsea, while Liverpool and Manchester United are also likely to be keeping an eye on the situation. They all recognize Caicedo's potential and his influence in their midfield. Manchester City took the lead once again last season and a key part of the comeback game will be keeping up with them physically.
Caicedo can help with that. He is very dynamic and offers a level of athleticism that Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi continues to praise.
"Caicedo is a top player with and without the ball," he said. "There are a lot of players in the world who are very good with the ball, but without it in the defensive area they are not so good."
"The others in the defensive area were good, but there were some problems with the ball."
"I didn't see anything at Caicedo that wasn't at the highest level. And he's only 20 years old, he's still very young, so he can still learn and improve. He knows no bounds.”
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