It is no secret that Chelsea wish to sign Brighton superstar Moises Caicedo. The London giants have already made bids for the Ecuadorian, which were rejected, and are continuing to negotiate for the South American in an attempt to sign a new defensive midfielder.
Todd Boehly and Co. tabled a £70M ($90M) bid for the 21-year-old last week which has been turned down and while Pochettino's side remain hopeful of signing Moises, Chelsea have been dealt a huge blow in their pursuit.
According to the Guardian, the Blues have hit a roadblock in their negotiations. Brighton have slapped a £100M ($128M) price tag, which Chelsea are unwilling to match. The Seagulls, however, are only willing to budge on one condition: if highly-rated Stamford Bridge defender Levi Colwill is included in the deal.
The English center-back enjoyed a successful spell on loan at the Amex last season and as a result, Roberto de Zerbi and Co. are desperate to bring him back on a permanent deal. However, Chelsea are unwilling to sell, with Pochettino making this message clear following their 4-3 pre-season victory over the Seagulls.
The talks for Caicedo have stalled. The Brighton higher-ups, as a result, have informed the Blues that they will need to either compromise on Colwill or meet Moises' asking price in order to make progress.
This puts Pochettino's side in a tremendous dilemma as they are unwilling to let go of Colwill, who is one of the hottest young center-backs in the game. This situation could thus drag on until the final days of the transfer window, which is what Brighton desire.
The London giants are in desperate need of a no.6 who can play alongside Enzo Fernandez. If the Premier League heavyweights fail to sign Caicedo until the final days of the window, would they eventually budge on their Colwill stance or will they look elsewhere for a defensive midfielder? Only time will tell but the Stamford Bridge board have a decision to make.
