Arsenal: £34m midfielder 'wanted to join' at the Emirates | OneFootball

Arsenal target Moises Caicedo does not have a preferred club, CBS reporter Ben Jacobs has told GiveMeSport.

The Gunners and Chelsea were both interested in signing the Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder last month, and Jacobs says he was happy to join either.

Arsenal transfer news - Moises Caicedo

Journalist Rudy Galetti has informed GMS that Arsenal could try and sign Caicedo again in the summer.

The north London club failed with two bids during the January transfer window, with the reliable Fabrizio Romano revealing that one was worth £70m.

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Chelsea also tried to snatch Caicedo away from Brighton but, like their rivals, were unsuccessful.

According to The Athletic, they made a £55m offer, which the Seagulls quickly knocked back. Transfermarkt actually only values Caicedo at around £34m.

What has Ben Jacobs said about Moises Caicedo and Arsenal?

Jacobs says Arsenal were not necessarily Caicedo's preference and that the 21-year-old just wanted to join one of the Premier League's big six.

Speaking to GMS, the CBS reporter said: "Caicedo, from what I understand, didn't necessarily have an absolute preference of club. He wanted the move, but he termed it very generically a magnificent opportunity, and that magnificent opportunity started when only Chelsea bid and ended when Arsenal made two bids.

"His head was turned during that whole process, which tells you that it's more about joining one of the big six than necessarily being overly fixed on a singular club."

Will Moises Caicedo get his dream move this summer?

Arsenal still appear to be interested in him, so it is not impossible. You would also expect Brighton to be more open to negotiating.

It is a longer transfer window, so the Seagulls will have more time to find the perfect successor to the Ecuadorian.

If they can find another midfielder similar to Caicedo, it will make him less indispensable. It would not be a shock to see Chelsea come back in for him either.

While the Blues have just signed Enzo Fernandez from Benfica, they have lost Jorginho to Arsenal, while N'Golo Kante could be about to follow the Italy international out of the exit door, too.

His contract expires at the end of the season, meaning that Chelsea may need to bring in a replacement for the Frenchman.

Having bid £70m for him in January, though, Arsenal and Mikel Arteta are the ones who look desperate for his signature. Ultimately, you would not rule out Caicedo eventually moving to the Emirates.