Chelsea ‘close in’ on major transfer alongside shock ‘£48m bid’ to hijack Liverpool move

Chelsea are ‘closing in’ on the signing of Moisés Caicedo from Brighton and Hove Albion after submitting a £48m bid for Liverpool target Roméo Lavia, according to reports.

Caicedo has been targeted by the Stamford Bridge club all summer and the Blues are said to be close to signing the player while they also attempt to hijack Liverpool’s move for Southampton star Lavia.

The Guardian reports a deal for Caicedo has progressed this week with Brighton standing firmly by their £100m valuation for the player but, as things stand, it is unclear if Chelsea will meet that price tag.

The report adds the Blues have been keen to pay a lower fee with their latest bid coming in at £80m for the player who is a top target for new manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Caicedo was unavailable for Brighton’s friendly march against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday through injury with reports on Monday he missed training over frustration of the transfer not going through.

David Ornstein of The Athletic reported on Wednesday night Chelsea had submitted a £48m bid for Lavia, but it appears the Southampton midfielder is not an alternative to Caicedo, as they also target Leeds United’s Tyler Adams.

Liverpool have been targeting the Southampton player ahead of Sunday’s meeting with the Blues but have seen three bids rejected after failing to meet Southampton’s £50m valuation. The Saints swiftly rejected the Reds latest bid of £45m as they hold out for £50m.

Chelsea have been monitoring Lavia’s situation for much of the summer and could now drive the price up further by submitting an official bid.

Lavia joined Southampton from Manchester City for an initial fee of £10.5m, but that could rise to £14m with the Premier League champions also set to receive 20 per cent of any future transfer.

The 19-year-old signed a five-year deal with Southampton and has not featured for the club in their opening two games of the season. He was on the bench for the 2-1 win at Sheffield Wednesday last week and was not in the squad for the 3-1 League Cup loss to Gillingham on Tuesday.