Chelsea set a British transfer record when buying Caicedo
At the end of August 13, according to London time, Chelsea and Brighton have just completed negotiations, agreeing that Caicedo's total transfer fee is 146 million USD (115 million pounds).
This fee includes a fixed $ 127 million, and 19 million as an additional fee, depending on the contribution of the Ecuadorian midfielder in the new shirt. According to Sky Sports, half of these 19 million surcharges will be "easily achievable", the other half bound by tougher terms.
The personal terms between Caicedo and Chelsea, according to British media, were completed long before that. The 21-year-old midfielder accepted an eight-year contract with the Stamford Bridge team, with an option to extend for a year.
With a total fee of 146 million for Caicedo, Chelsea set the English transfer record for the second time in just eight months. In January 2023, they bought the 2022 World Cup champion Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for $ 135.5 million - the highest level in English football history at that time.
The English transfer record is calculated for the deals that British clubs buy or sell players, not necessarily British. Between the two deals of Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, Arsenal also set this record in July 2023 when buying Delcan Rice from West Ham for $ 137 million.
Chelsea have been pursuing Caidedo since the beginning of the summer when new coach Mauricio Pochettino saw the defensive midfielder as a key factor in the plan to revive the team that had just gone through a tumultuous year and finished 12th in the Premier League last season. But after many negotiations, they still could not close the price to buy Caidedo, with the last time being $ 101 million in early August, but was refused because Brighton wanted 127 million.
On August 10, Liverpool suddenly jumped into the Caicedo competition, offering 139 million and was immediately agreed by Brighton. The deal is only waiting for Caicedo's nod to complete, but the Ecuadorian player has moved to London to wait to join Chelsea and rejected the option to go to Liverpool.
On the afternoon of August 11, Caicedo and the support team remained in London, instead of going to Liverpool to discuss personal terms and medical examination. According to Sky Sports, the 21-year-old midfielder just wants to join Chelsea as originally planned. Before that, Caicedo had cleared all his personal belongings in Brighton and reached a personal agreement with Chelsea.
To avoid the scenario of a long night of dreaming and being lifted, Chelsea had to spend a lot to buy Caicedo. After closing the price with Brighton yesterday, Chelsea booked a medical examination for the Ecuadorian midfielder today, then signed a contract and debuted him as soon as possible.
Caicedo was the top defensive midfielder in the Premier League last season with the second most tackles and cuts in the league. Other parameters such as winning the ball in the middle of the field, his successful touch and pass are all in the top 10. Chelsea considers the Ecuador international as a worthy successor to the position left by N'Golo Kante.
