Chelsea boss Pochettino shuts down Moises Caicedo transfer question after bid

Mauricio Pochettino refused to talk about Chelsea’s pursuit of Moises Caicedo in a press conference ahead of his first pre-season friendly against Wrexham. Pochettino was on Tuesday asked about Caicedo and also quizzed on Mykhaylo Mudryk and Levi Colwill, both of whom he confirmed he has held private talks with. He also spoke about Wesley Fofana’s crushing injury setback, the news of which came out just hours earlier.

The new Chelsea boss will take charge of his first match with a friendly in the United States against League Two Wrexham – famously owned by Hollywood pair Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney – on Wednesday. But ahead of the exhibition outing, the Blues have been very busy behind the scenes, particularly with their transfer business.

They have been trimming down a bloated squad while also looking still to make new signings in some areas. Pochettino wants to snap up Moises Caicedo from Brighton and the Londoners have had two bids rejected for the Ecuadorian. The latest was worth around £70million with the Seagulls wanting nearer to £100m for him after Declan Rice’s move to Arsenal.

Enzo Fernandez’s £107m move to Stamford Bridge in January is another benchmark for Brighton who believe Caicedo, 21, can become one of the very best midfielders in the world. Pochettino clearly thinks so too given his interest but he would not discuss the player in front of the media.

Asked about Caicedo, the Argentine said: “All the team are working hard to get who we want. I don’t want to talk about specific names. It’s not respectful. Like us, many clubs are working to sign a player to improve their team.”

While on Chelsea’s transfer plans overall, he continued: “We are working really hard to finish the squad. I think the players are showing commitment and working so well. We are so happy with the way they are working. We need to work during this pre-season to be a really strong squad and then to evolve in the way we want to play and to apply the concept we expect from then.”

Chelsea have spent huge amounts under owner Todd Boehly – over £550m – in a little over a year with £88.5m of that going on Mudryk. The Ukraine winger joined in January but struggled to make an impact in his first six months. The 22-year-old, who had also been a major target for Arsenal, is expected to be given a chance to shine under Pochettino.

He said: “I’ve spoken with all of the players a lot. I find a really good kid, still really young with amazing potential. The most important thing is to earn the trust. They need to know us and the way that we act. We had many chats and I am so happy about that.”

Centre-back Levi Colwill is expected to join the Chelsea squad in the USA for pre-season after winning the U21 Euros with England. The defender is heavily linked with Liverpool and Brighton, where he spent last season on loan, but Pochettino is keen to keep the highly-rated 20-year-old and wants him to sign a new long-term contract.

The Blues boss continued: “With Levi also, we had a nice chat, this is private but I think it’s important, they need to know us. They need to know us, know what we think and need to know if they have the possibility to be in the starting XI. We are happy with all and tomorrow we start the competition and to compete and that is the reality of the two and they need to speak on the pitch.”

Chelsea’s hopes of convincing Colwill to stay have been made easier by a cruel injury blow for fellow centre-half Fofana, who has had surgery to reconstruct his anterior cruciate ligament and may miss a sizeable chunk of the upcoming 2023-24 campaign.

Pochettino reacted: “Really sad, really bad news. We feel so sad. We can only help him and to be again with the team we know it is tough. We need to help him and wish him all the best. We need to keep going, the competition is there. The comeptition doesn’t wait for anyone and we need to be ready.”