In a dramatic turn of events, Liverpool have now agreed a British-record £110 million deal for Moises Caicedo.
Prior to Thursday morning, Caicedo was widely expected to join Chelsea unopposed, with those on Merseyside considering him unattainable.
But as the pursuit of Romeo Lavia dragged on and with no agreement reached with the London club, talks then began with Brighton.
Things moved very quickly, with Brighton setting a midnight deadline for both Liverpool and Chelsea to submit bids, and now a deal is agreed.
According to The Athletic‘s David Ornstein, the package will be worth £110 million, which will be the most expensive transfer in British football history.
It breaks the £106.8 million record set when Chelsea signed Enzo Fernandez in February, with the Blues themselves offering £100 million for Caicedo.
Caicedo is now set to travel to Liverpool for a medical on Friday, with personal terms – though not yet agreed – described as a “formality.”
According to journalist Chris Williams, the midfielder’s agency, Futbol Division, have briefed that a contract had been discussed with the Reds in January.
The expectation is that any new salary will be increased, though it remains to be seen whether Caicedo will arrive among the club’s highest earners.
Caicedo will be the third signing of the summer at Anfield, following former Brighton team-mate Alexis Mac Allister and Hungary captain Dominik Szoboszlai.
Those three additions form the core of a much-needed rebuild in the middle of the park, to the tune of £205 million.
Signing Caicedo – if it goes ahead as expected – will be a major statement of intent ahead of the new campaign, filling the void left by Fabinho‘s switch to Al Ittihad.
The 21-year-old midfielder, has made 53 appearances for Brighton, and 32 appearances for Ecuador.
The fee would significantly eclipse Liverpool’s current record transfer fee, which is £75 million for Virgil van Dijk. Darwin Nunez‘s price could eventually have risen to £85 million but he will not become the club record signing now should Caicedo’s deal complete.
Jurgen Klopp holds his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday’s trip to Chelsea at 10am on Friday morning, will the boss speak on the new deal or play it cool until the deal is confirmed?
