Arsenal transfer target's awkward Instagram post after £70m bid was rejected

Daily Mirror

4 hours ago

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta had the vision of pairing Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo in midfield, but his plans were scuppered after Brighton rejected two bids for the Ecuadorian star
Moises Caicedo previously took the unusual approach of going to Instagram to force a move away from Brighton, after having seen a bid rejected for his services from Arsenal. Prior to his British-record £115million transfer to Chelsea in the summer of 2023, the midfielder was subject to interest from Mikel Arteta's side in the January transfer window of that year.
Desperate to get his man mid-season, the Gunners boss sanctioned two bids to acquire the Ecuadorian worth £65million and £70million. But both were swiftly rejected by the Seagulls.
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Despite playing less than 30 games for Brighton at the time, the then-21-year-old impressed massively as he himself made it publicly known that he was already wanting to move on from the club.
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In a strange move, Caicedo took to Instagram and wrote a message directly to Brighton chairman Tony Bloom following the opening bid to first offer his gratitude to the executive then pleading for him to allow the sale to go through.
"I am grateful to Mr. Bloom and Brighton for giving me the chance to come to the Premier League and I feel I have always done my best for them," he wrote.
"I always play football with a smile and with heart. I am the youngest of ten siblings from a poor upbringing in Santa Domingo in Ecuador. My dream is always to be the most decorated player in the history of Ecuador.
"I am proud to be able to bring in a record transfer fee for Brighton which would allow them to reinvest it and help the club continue to be successful.
"The fans have taken me into their hearts and they will always be in my heart so I hope they can understand why I want to take up this magnificent opportunity."
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Caicedo's poignant message ended up falling on deaf ears as Brighton remained firm and kept onto him for the rest of the season. His Instagram account 'moises_caicedo55' was also nowhere to be found on the social media platform weeks after his message but has since returned.
The season ended up being Caicedo's last at Brighton as he ended up the centre of a bidding war between Liverpool and Chelsea in the summer.
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Despite the Reds having a bid of £110m accepted by the club, the midfielder had given his priority to the west London club who offered a British record of £115m – including add-ons – which was subsequently accepted.
Having just finished his second season at Stamford Bridge, Caicedo was the only Chelsea player to start all 38 Premier League games and ended the campaign by scoring in their 4-1 win over Real Betis to win the UEFA Conference League.
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