Chelsea’s exorbitant spending spree continued Monday when the English Premier League club officially acquired 21-year-old midfielder Moisés Caicedo from Brighton for £115 million, or around $146 million.
That number, according to ESPN, sets a record for the highest transfer fee for a British professional soccer team. It beats the record Chelsea previously set in February when the team paid £106.8 million (around $135.5 million) for Benfica’s Enzo Fernández.
The Caicedo deal also brings the total amount of money spent on player transfers by Chelsea’s new owners, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, to $1 billion since they took over 15 months ago. However, the early returns on that investment didn’t pay off as Chelsea fell all the way to 12th in the EPL table.
The race for Caicedo came down to Chelsea and EPL rival Liverpool, with a bit of controversy mixed in. Liverpool reportedly outbid Chelsea’s original offer by £30 million and manager Jürgen Klopp publicly confirmed his club agreed to sign Caicedo on Friday. But the midfielder reportedly refused to join the Reds and would only sign with Chelsea, leaving the Blues to best their original offer and beat Liverpool for Caicedo.
Chelsea later reportedly signed Caicedo to an eight-year deal with an option for a ninth, according to Italian soccer insider Fabrizio Romano.
“I am so happy to join Chelsea!” Caicedo said, per the team’s website. “I am so excited to be here at this big club and I didn’t have to think twice when Chelsea called me, I just knew I wanted to sign for the club. It’s a dream come true to be here and I can’t wait to get started with the team.”
Caicedo made 50 appearances in five seasons for Brighton. He tallied two goals and two assists during his time there, but excelled as a defensive midfielder. He ranked first in tackles, interceptions and possessions won, according to Opta Analyst. Caicedo, who is from Santo Domingo, Ecuador, began his career at Independiente del Valle of the Ecuadorian Serie A. He joined Brighton in 2021 but was loaned to Beerschot, a Belgian club, later that season for a full year.
During its pursuit of Caicedo, Chelsea also triggered the relegation release clause for Leeds United midfielder and USMNT captain Tyler Adams. That deal reportedly fell through, though, and the EPL’s Bournemouth reportedly swooped in to sign Adams.
