Chelsea: Pochettino has ‘personally asked’ to sign £70m star at Stamford Bridge | OneFootball

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has ‘specifically asked’ for Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo as a N’Golo Kante replacement, journalist Rudy Galetti has told GIVEMESPORT.

They are poised to enter a transfer saga with Arsenal, however, as Mikel Arteta has also earmarked the Brighton midfielder as a long-term midfield option.

90min have reported that the west Londoners are considering a double swoop for both Caicedo and West Ham captain Declan Rice.

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However, their London rivals Arsenal have ‘agreed terms’ with the Brighton sensation, per The Sun.

As we enter the early embers of the summer window, Caicedo will be a potential focal point of a saga between the duo from the capital - but not for the first time.

Both clubs involved in the race had submitted bids rejected in January but instead, the 21-year-old signed an extension until 2027, with the south coast side in an unforeseen turn of events.

Caicedo, who is valued by Brighton at £70m, is understandably a largely sought-after prospect after impressing for his current employers under a series of managers.

Whether the youngster would be able to translate his form to a traditional ‘top six’ side remains to be seen, but given his age, top-flight experience and ability, he would be a wise addition for either Chelsea or Arsenal.

What did Rudy Galetti say about Chelsea and Moises Caicedo?

Galetti has claimed that Pochettino has categorically asked after Caicedo as a means of replacing the outgoing Kante.

Speaking exclusively to GIVEMESPORT, he said: “Pochettino specifically asked for the Brighton player to strengthen the midfield and now with Kante’s farewell, Moises is becoming an urgency.”

Can Moises Caicedo replace N’Golo Kante?

It’s difficult to replace such a unique player as the Frenchman, but Caicedo is almost as close as you can get.

Kante will walk away on a free transfer to join Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ittihad this summer on a deal worth £86m a season, according to The Guardian.

Especially with Manchester City testing Chelsea’s resolve regarding Mateo Kovacic, according to The Athletic and Manuel Ugarte signing for Paris Saint-Germain, midfield reinforcements have now become a priority at Stamford Bridge.

What Pochettino may be seriously impressed with is Caicedo’s versatility, as he has often been used on the right side of the defence in the absence of Joel Veltman at times.

Fbref data shows that Caicedo made 2.87 tackles per 90 to Kante’s 2.76, though it must be noted that the latter has featured far less than his Brighton counterpart.

Caicedo’s pass completion rate also betters Kante’s as they record 88.5% and 80.2%, respectively, showing that their target is a brilliant passer while remaining defensively sound.