Moises Caicedo joins up with Chelsea team-mates in USA to bolster Enzo Maresca's options | OneFootball

Caicedo was not initially named in the 28-man squad

Moises Caicedo has joined up with the Chelsea squad in the USA, in a boost to the options available to Enzo Maresca.

The Blues have flown out for their pre-season tour and will play five matches over the next two weeks, starting with a fixture against Wrexham in California on Wednesday night.

Chelsea announced a 28-man squad for the tour on Monday, with Caicedo not one of those included after his Copa America involvement with Ecuador in the summer.

Lesley Ugochukwu, Romeo Lavia, Andrey Santos, Carney Chukwuemeka and new signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall were the midfielders initially confirmed, but Caicedo has been added to that list, after the Blues announced he was now with the rest of the squad in the USA.

The 22-year-old played all four of his country’s matches at Copa America, before Ecuador were knocked out by Argentina. That match, in which Caicedo played the full 90 minutes, was less than three weeks ago.

After playing Wrexham on Wednesday, Maresca’s side face Celtic this weekend and go up against Club America.

Chelsea then play Manchester City on August 3 in Ohio, and then bring the tour to a close three days later with a high-profile friendly against Real Madrid in North Carolina.

Along with Dewsbury-Hall, summer arrivals Tosin Adarabioyo, Renato Veiga and Marc Guiu have all made the squad for the tour, along with Wesley Fofana and Christopher Nkunku after injury-hit seasons.

Trevoh Chalobah, however, has been excluded, with Chelsea expected to step up their efforts to find a buyer for the defender this summer. The 25-year-old’s contract at Stamford Bridge does not run out until 2028, and he is believed to still want to fight for his place in Maresca’s plans.