The west London club had made Enzo Fernandez their top midfield target for the January transfer window but their offer to Benfica was lower than his (£106m) release clause.
Fernandez, who was a key part of Argentina’s success at the World Cup last month, had initially told Benfica that he wanted to join Chelsea but his celebration on Tuesday evening indicated that the midfielder has now had a change of heart and will remain with the Portuguese club until the end of the season.
According to The Guardian, Graham Potter has prioritised a move for a midfielder in January and a deal for Caicedo is now being explored.
The report claims that Chelsea are also interested in signing Alexis Mac Allister, but it may be easier to complete a deal for his Brighton teammate.
Caicedo, who impressed for Ecuador at the World Cup in Qatar, is also on Liverpool’s shortlist with Jurgen Klopp keen to strengthen his midfield options.
It’s understood that Brighton would want at least £70m for the 21-year-old, who Brighton signed for just £4.5m in 2021.
Speaking last August, Potter, who was still Brighton manager at the time, joked that a £42m bid would not get close to securing a deal for Caicedo.
‘You’d probably get his boots for that from the chairman – maybe! £100m? They can try,’ Potter said.
‘It doesn’t surprise me that people are looking at him because he is playing at a fantastic level.
‘As soon as you do research on him you realise he is a top kid, great person, young, playing in the Premier League, has all the attributes to play at the very, very highest level.’
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