Chelsea have agreed a deal worth a possible £115 million to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton and Hove Albion, the PA news agency understands.
Brighton will receive £100 million up front with a further £15 million in add-ons as the long-running transfer saga appears finally to be coming to an end.
Chelsea are confident that they are not paying above market value for a player who has been the subject of an intense struggle between themselves and Liverpool in the past week.
The Reds tabled a surprise bid believed to be in the region of £111 million which was reported to have been accepted by Albion.
Caicedo is understood to have favoured a move to Stamford Bridge over Merseyside but Chelsea had until now appeared reluctant to match Brighton owner Tony Bloom’s valuation of the player.
That impasse has now been broken with the club having agreed a fee that is likely to at least match the British transfer record they paid to sign Enzo Fernandez from Benfica in January.
PA understands that half of the agreed add-ons are deemed easily achievable while the rest will be harder for Brighton to activate.
Caicedo is due to undergo a medical and sign the deal that will likely elevate him to the most expensive player ever signed by an English club.
Chelsea’s pursuit of the 21-year-old started in earnest in January but they were ultimately reluctant to match Brighton’s valuation.
In March, Caicedo signed a new contract with the Seagulls.
Despite this, the saga has rumbled on until the current transfer window during which the Ecuador international made it known to Albion that he wished to leave.
Liverpool’s interest in the past few days – and Brighton’s acceptance of the club’s bid – had made Chelsea’s situation more urgent.
But the Stamford Bridge hierarchy are satisfied that the deal struck reflects Caicedo’s value.
The teams drew 1-1 at Stamford Bridge yesterday (Sunday 13 August) in manager Mauricio Pochettino’s first game in charge since being appointed in June.
Albion head coach Robert De Zerbi said: “Bigger clubs can buy our players but they can’t buy our soul or spirit.”
