Chelsea giving up on Moises Caicedo? Blues tell Brighton they will not meet £100m demand for midfielder and target Gabri Veiga instead

Chelsea have refused to meet Brighton`s £100 million ($127m) asking price for Moises Caicedo and may move for Celta Vigo’s Gabri Veiga instead.

Chelsea hold firm over valuation
Brighton want over £100m
Veiga an alternative option
WHAT HAPPENED? The Guardian reports that the Blues are unwilling to pay £100m for Caicedo, despite the Seagulls feeling a benchmark has been set by Arsenal paying a similar fee to buy Declan Rice from West Ham. Chelsea instead hope to convince Brighton to sell at a price closer to £80m ($102m).

THE BIGGER PICTURE: While the Blues remain keen to sign Caicedo, they have scheduled talks with Celta Vigo over Veiga, who has also been linked with Manchester City and PSG among other top clubs. He has a release clause of just £34.4m ($44m), a much more achievable figure.

AND WHAT’S MORE: Caicedo is also said to want to move to Stamford Bridge, but Chelsea do not want to be drawn into protracted negotiations once again, having signed Marc Cucurella from the club in a £60m ($76.5m) deal last summer.