Chelsea can move on to four other targets as Caicedo talks hit a brick wall

Chelsea’s negotiations with Brighton for Moises Caicedo are understood to have reached an impasse and are at risk of collapse. Brighton want no less than £100million for the Ecuador international and are proving to be hard to bargain with after rejecting a £70m bid from the Blues last week.

If talks don’t pick up soon then Chelsea will be forced to turn their attention to other options in the centre of the park. There are several decent midfielders available on the market right now that can be brought in for a fraction of the price it will cost them to secure Caicedo’s signature. And so, here, Express Sport counts down four of the best alternatives that have been put up for sale.

Romeo Lavia

Romeo Lavia is desperate to return to England’s top flight following Southampton’s relegation from the Premier League – and Chelsea could be the perfect destination for him to ply his trade. He is thought to be available for around £50m but the Blues will have to fight off stiff competition from Arsenal and Liverpool. 

Chelsea had a bid in the same ballpark rejected by the Saints in January but the club are now facing far more significant financial pressures due to the loss of Premier League television revenue and prize money – and so would be happy with the fee now.

Gabri Veiga

Veiga is much more of an attacking-minded option than Caicedo but would serve as a decent replacement for the recently departed Mason Mount. According to the Evening Standard, Mauricio Pochettino is hoping to add two more midfielders to his squad and someone like Veiga being brought in alongside a more traditional holding midfielder such as Lavia would provide the Argentine with plenty of versatility in the middle.

Kalvin Phillips 

Undoubtedly a risky transfer given his difficult maiden campaign at Manchester City but if Chelsea can unlock Kalvin Phillip’s full potential then they will have a real player on their hands. Phillips was excellent during his time at Leeds and the Blues would benefit from his turnovers and long ball distribution next season. 

The 27-year-old has fallen out of favour with Pep Guardiola already and could be on his way out of the Etihad after just 12 months. City would want a fee close to the £45m they paid for him last summer, which is definitely worth a punt for a club where money isn’t an issue like Chelsea.

Ryan Gravenberch

Ryan Gravenberch is the most versatile player on this list and can play equally well as a defensive or attacking midfielder. At 21 years old there is still plenty more to come from the Dutchman, who could be available for as little as £20m from Bayern Munich.

Gravenberch isn’t considered an important player by Thomas Tuchel and made just three starts in the Bundesliga last season. The door is firmly open for him to depart this summer and plenty of top European clubs are queuing up.