Caicedo pleads with Brighton for ‘record’ move after Arsenal bid rejected

Jan 28 (Reuters) – Moises Caicedo has asked Brighton & Hove Albion to let him go after the English south coast club rejected a £60 million ($70 million) bid from the Premier League leaders, Arsenal.

Brighton sold Belgian winger Leandro Trossard to Arsenal this month for £27m. British media reported that they were also not interested in selling Caicedo after the 21-year-old impressed in midfield this season.

The Ecuador international said he was grateful to Brighton and their owner Tony Bloom for giving him the chance to play in the Premier League, but did not want to pass up a “magnificent opportunity”.

“I am the youngest of 10 siblings from a poor upbringing in Santa Domingo, Ecuador. My dream (was) always to be the most decorated player in the history of Ecuador,” Caicedo wrote on Instagram.

“I am proud to be able to contribute a record transfer fee for Brighton which would allow them to reinvest it and help the club continue to be successful.

“The fans have taken me to my heart and will always be in my heart, so I hope they can understand why I want to take this great opportunity.”

A fee of £60m would be a record for Brighton, who sold Marc Cucurella to Chelsea in August for an initial fee of £55m, which could rise to £62m in add-ons.

Brighton are sixth at the halfway point of the season and are in a good position to qualify for European football for the first time in the club’s history.

On Friday, Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi had said he hoped to convince Caicedo to stay.

“I spoke to him as a father, not as a coach,” he told reporters. “I hope he can stay with us until the end of the season… This is the best solution for him and for us.”

Arsenal are chasing their first league title since 2003-04, looking for cover in midfield after Mohamed Elneny injured his knee, with no timetable for the Egyptian’s return.

The transfer window closes on Tuesday.

($1 = 0.8066 pounds)

Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bangalore; Edited by William Mallard

Our standards: the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Source: Caicedo pleads with Brighton for ‘record’ move after Arsenal bid rejected