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Arsenal could revive interest in signing Caicedo next summer

By Ritayan Chatterjee on January 31, 2023

Arsenal are expected to revive their interest in signing Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo in the summer after failing to agree a deal this month, as per CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs.

Following an impressive first half of this term, Mikel Arteta’s side are in a strong position to overcome their 19 years of Premier League title drought this term. So, they took this January window as an opportunity to bolster the squad and boost their title charge.

Having purchased Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior to reinforce the front line and defence early on in this window, Arsenal left it late to strengthen the engine room this winter.

Caicedo emerged as a serious target, however, despite submitting two official proposals worth up to £70m, the north London club couldn’t broker a deal for the talented midfielder as the Seagulls refused to sell.

So, they shifted their focus to alternative options and have done a swift deal to sign Chelsea star Jorginho on deadline day. However, it appears the Premier League leaders are still eager to lure the Brighton ace to the Emirates Stadium.

Summer move

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jacobs has claimed that Arsenal realised after the second bid that the Seagulls aren’t going to sell the midfielder this winter. So they retreated from this deal in order to keep a good relationship with the South Coast side due to the fact that they are expected to reignite their interest in signing Caicedo next summer.

Ben Jacobs said:

“From Arsenal’s point of view, they’ve moved away. Arsenal stopped after their second bid, which was rejected robustly and within a matter of minutes, and they are conscious that they must protect their relationship with Brighton because they might need to come back for Caicedo if nothing happens elsewhere and do some business in the summer.”

Caicedo still has two and a half years left in his current contract, so Brighton are in a strong position to ask a big fee to sell their star man next summer.

However, it has also been reported that Arsenal are keen on signing Declan Rice to strengthen the midfield for next season. And they would be needed to spend a fee of around £70m to get the deal done.

It seems almost unrealistic that Arsenal will make moves for both Caicedo and Rice, as Brighton will want around £80m. So, it remains to be seen who emerges as the number one target for the Gunners to reinforce the midfield following the conclusion of this season. Either of them would be a great acquisition if the club’s hierarchy can manage to get a deal done.