Now it is Arsenal taking the piss with £60m Caicedo bid

Another day in January, another ridiculous bid for Moises Caicedo from one of the European Super League Elite Six with Arsenal the latest club to have their attempts to sign the midfielder rejected in robust terms by Brighton.

Last week, it was Glow Up Graham Potter and Chelsea who were told where to go by the Albion after offering £55 million for Caicedo.

This came just five months after Glow Up himself had valued Caicedo at £100 million in the face of summer interest from Liverpool, who were rumoured to be considering a £42 million bid.

“You’d probably get his boots for £42 million – maybe! £100 million? They can try,” said Potter when asked about the Albion’s hopes of keeping Caicedo.

Quite what Caicedo had done to wipe £45 million off his value in the eyes of Potter is anyone’s guess. Or it could just be that Glow Up and Chelsea wanted to unsettle Caicedo in the hope that he attempts to force through a move as a result. Classy stuff from Potter and his new employers.

In light of the Chelsea interest, it was reported that Brighton had slapped a £100 million valuation on Caicedo. Hopefully, Tony Bloom’s way of trolling Potter by using the figure Glow Up himself came up with.

The key word in that sentence is evaluation, not price tag. Bloom never puts a price on an individual player, instead inviting interested parties to keep bidding until they reach an amount that he is willing to accept.

Which brings us nicely to this latest bid from the Emirates Stadium of £60 million. Having seen Chelsea laughed out the door at £55 million, somebody at Arsenal actually thought it was a good idea to get the ball rolling on a deal for Caicedo at £60 million.

Brian Owen has reported in The Argus the offer from the Gunners was knocked back in “very robust terms”. More interestingly, Owen goes onto say that Brighton are not inviting further bids for the player.

Whereas Chelsea were told to keep offering more money and a deal might be possible for Marc Cucurella in the summer and Arsenal received similar encouragement for Leandro Trossard earlier this month, in the case of Caicedo the Albion do not appear interested.

That suggests it would take a monumental bid from either Arsenal or Chelsea to get Caicedo before the January transfer deadline arrives.

And why would you pay in excess of £100 million now with Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham likely to be on the market come the summer?

Brighton’s stance and valuation is designed to put off suitors for six months at least, when the midfield market is likely to be particularly lively and prices even more inflated.

But a bigger profit is not the Albion’s reason for holding onto Caicedo. With him alongside Alexis Mac Allister pulling the strings in midfield, Brighton have every chance of qualifying for Europe for the first time via a top seven finish.

The Seagulls will also fancy their chances of a decent FA Cup run if they can overcome Liverpool in the fourth round at the Amex.

With Chelsea already out and one of Manchester City and Arsenal to follow, the competition is opening up for a club from outside the European Super League Elite Six to make it to Wembley. Why not Brighton, should they eliminate the holders?

Roberto De Zerbi had his say on the Caicedo situation in his pre-Liverpool press conference. “He’s a good guy, he’s focussed only on Brighton,” said De Zerbi when asked about the speculation surrounding Caicedo.

“I hope he can stay with us until the end of the season, because my opinion is that that is the best solution for both him and us.”

“I can understand the other big teams want our young players. I spoke with Moises on Wednesday and I told him my opinion.

“It’s always difficult to change in the season because you can find some problems. For our way, it’s important for him to stay for another four months.”

“I spoke with him like a father, not like a coach. I am not selfish, I understand the possibility to change team and go to a very big team. But my work is to give the style of play and advice for his career, for his life.”

The message coming out of Brighton from both boardroom and management seems to be – despite what all those “in the know” Twitter accounts might claim – that Caicedo will not be going anywhere until the summer.

Things can change fast in football of course, especially with Chelsea involved and an owner who has far more money than sense.

With seemingly no grasp of how soccer works, you cannot rule out Todd Boehly sanctioning a £370 million bid or something equally dumbfounding before the January transfer window slams shut.

But right now, it appears as if Caicedo isn’t going anywhere. Certainly not for £60 million, a bid that Arsenal know is taking the piss.