In what has been a transfer window of many twists and turns, a new contender from the middle east threatening to change the status quo and transfer records being broken, the saga of Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Mohammed Kudus has been one of the biggest storylines of the transfer window.
Mohammed Kudus officially starts for Ajax as Brighton agreed on €40m fee already in July; still waiting to agree on personal terms as mentioned yesterday — not a done deal yet 🔵🇬🇭
More contacts will follow to get it done on player side. pic.twitter.com/ftzGGmxIdJ
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 6, 2023
These three players are some of the best talents under the age of 21 on the planet and they have been linked with big moves to several clubs across Europe but the loudest transfer links come from Premier League clubs, particularly Chelsea and Liverpool.
These two clubs are similar in so many ways and there are a lot of parallels that could be drawn between the two. For both teams, they started the 2022/2023 season with lofty ambitions and hopes of silverware but ended the season with little to show for their efforts.
For both teams they finished outside the positions they were favorites for and over the summer, they had a squad reset, albeit at varying levels, especially in midfield.
The domino effect – Caicedo, Lavia and Kudus
With the issues in midfield both sides (Liverpool and Chelsea) are currently looking to address, these players fit the age and stylistic profile these teams want. In terms of upside, their ceilings vary but there is no doubt that these players have world class potential.
Caicedo and Lavia in particular had been chased for most of this window by both Chelsea and Liverpool with the former Valued by Brighton and Hove Albion at £100 million, making him one of the most expensive midfielders ever while the latter was valued by Southampton at £50 million.
As recent reports suggest, Liverpool have outbid Chelsea and the most recent suitor in Bayern Munich in the race for Moises Caicedo. Their bid was reported to be £110 million which is higher than the £105 million fee Arsenal paid for former West Ham United midfielder, Declan Rice.
If the deal goes through and Caicedo is announced as a new Liverpool player, it will mean the British transfer record for a player would have been broken twice in one window.
This will come as a huge blow for Chelsea as they miss out on their key summer target but at the same time, it means that the path to signing Romeo Lavia and/or Mohammed Kudus becomes open for them.
For me Chelsea should walk away from Moises Caicedo & let Liverpool have the player for £110 million, I then think we should go for both Romeo Lavia & Mohammed Kudus. Would of been nice to have Caicedo but realistically for a defensive midfielder it’s to much. pic.twitter.com/Yu4vXq9yDz
— Frank Khalid OBE (@FrankKhalidUK) August 11, 2023
Currently, Brighton are the team that were closest to signing Kudus but the deal collapsed. Brighton are still interested in the player but Chelsea would be a more attractive club for the Black Stars international.
The Blues have already signed a defensive midfielder in Tyler Adams and may look to get a more attack minded midfielder in Kudus. When you consider the injury to Christopher Nkunku, this is an avenue they may exploit.
Tyler Adams to Chelsea, here we go! The relegation clause worth £20m has been activated today 🚨🔵🇺🇸 #CFC
Agreement reached with player’s agent in London over personal terms and now medical tests to follow — after 10 days negotiations, deal now done. pic.twitter.com/Dmvo70FibB
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 10, 2023
Interestingly, Brighton could cause more problems for Chelsea, if they still go on to sign Kudus as well; as the Seagulls remain interested in the Ghanaian star.
On the part of Chelsea, they will need to act fast on whatever deal they decide to make in the coming weeks as Lavia has also attracted interest from Manchester United, who are on the lookout for a midfielder as well. If they decide to intensify their interest in the Belgian, Chelsea will be forced into another bidding war.
This article was most recently revised and updated 3 months ago
