Latest news with #British-record
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Arsenal transfer target's awkward Instagram post after £70m bid was rejected
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. 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. 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." 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. 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. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Liverpool transfer target Milos Kerkez leaves team camp as statement released
Liverpool are in advanced talks to sign Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez, who has been on international duty with Hungary this week Hungary have released Liverpool target Milos Kerkez from their international camp as his move to Anfield inches closer. Earlier this week, boss Marco Rossi revealed that Kerkez would not be available to feature in a friendly against Sweden on Friday, however, the Italian did not go into details when discussing the 21-year-old's situation. Hungary have now released a statement explaining that the Bournemouth left-back will not be available to face Azerbaijan next week. It read: "Milos Kerkez left the men's A-team training camp in Telk for private reasons, so he will not travel with the team to Baku, the venue of the match against Azerbaijan." Kerkez was at Hungary's training base in Budapest on Thursday but did not train with his colleagues. It's understood that given talks over a move to Liverpool are now advanced, neither club wants to run the risk of an injury that could potentially scupper the move. Liverpool are set to hold a final meeting with the Cherries in the coming days to thrash out the last details of an agreement. The final package is expected to reach between £40million to £45m inclusive of add-ons. Arne Slot's Premier League champions have made Kerkez their priority left-back target as they seek to strengthen their backline following the departure of right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. Reds sporting director Richard Hughes was the man that brought Kerkez to the Premier League with Bournemouth in 2023. Last week, the Hungarian international appeared to indicate he was heading for the exit door at the Vitality Stadium, posting on social media: "I don't know what will happen in the next week but Cherries family thank you!" Liverpool also remain in ongoing talks with Bayer Leverkusen over a potential British-record deal for Florian Wirtz. Their latest bid, submitted in the past 48 hours, is worth £113m - £110m upfront with around £13m in bonuses. However, it's understood Leverkusen are holding out for a whopping £126.4m (€150m) deal but Liverpool are reluctant to go as high as that figure. Nonetheless, there is still a chance the final agreement could surpass the British-record £115m fee Chelsea paid Brighton for Moises Caicedo in the summer of 2023 when Liverpool were narrowly pipped to a deal by the Blues. The Reds have already completed the signing of Leverkusen wing-back Jeremie Frimpong after Liverpool triggered his £29.5m release clause. Anfield chiefs also helped Leverkusen land Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken after agreeing to sell Caoimhin Kelleher to the Bees for £18m.
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Diaz holds worrying talks with rivals as Liverpool issued Wirtz warning
Liverpool continue to push for Florian Wirtz after several bids were turned down by Bayer Leverkusen but Luis Diaz's exit talk continues to swirl around Anfield Liverpool are on course for a mammoth summer of transfer dealings - both when it comes to ins and outs at Anfield. Already we've seen Jeremie Frimpong arrive, filling the void left by Trent Alexander-Arnold. Now all the talk is of a potential British-record transfer that could see Florian Wirtz make his way to Anfield as Arne Slot looks to build on his Premier League success. Bayer Leverkusen have turned down several bids so far as they hold out for their asking price. Slot is also looking to bolster his defensive line and could add even more firepower to compliment the likes of Mohamed Salah. When it comes to exits some big names could leave Anfield with Darwin Nunez among them. Luis Diaz's future also continues to be a subject of discussion with the Colombian yet to agree on a new deal with the Reds as the likes of Barcelona are linked. Here's the latest news coming out of Liverpool. Diaz talking to rivals Diaz has put the ball firmly in Liverpool's court after confirming he has held talks with rival clubs over a potential move. Speculation has been mounting since January that he could be on the move. The Colombian has only two years remaining on his contract and with talks over a new deal at an impasse, several top clubs around the world are interested. He said: "I'm very happy at Liverpool, I've always said so. They've welcomed me very well from day one. We are currently in contact with Liverpool, because we are talking to clubs. "That's normal given the transfer market that's opening. We're trying to arrange what's best for us. We're talking to clubs, it's normal in the market and we're looking at what's best for us. I'm waiting to see what happens. If they (Liverpool) give us a good renewal or I stay there for two years, I'll be happy. Now it's up to them.' Wirtz saga could drag on Former Bayer Leverkusen chief Rudi Voller has admitted Wirtz wants to join Liverpool, but warned the Reds that the move could "take a while". Liverpool have already seen two bids rejected for Wirtz by the German side with talks ongoing. Voller - who left his role as sporting director of Bayer Leverkusen in 2022 after 17 years - has given insight into the discussions as he said: "It's no secret that he'd like to go to Liverpool. I know the clubs are negotiating with each other,' 'It's often the case that it takes a while until an agreement is finally reached. "Of course, in the end, you have the feeling it will go through. Florian Wirtz has proven that he is a very, very valuable player. Not only for Bayer Leverkusen but also for the national team. That's why he costs a few euros more." Kerkez misses game as move edges closer Hungary national team boss Marco Rossi has revealed Milos Kerkez will miss Friday's friendly against Sweden as his switch to Liverpool edges closer. The Bournemouth left-back had been expected to feature against the Swedes but he did not train with his team-mates on Thursday, despite being in camp with the national team. Rossi said: "Of course, a few problems may creep in, for example, for various reasons, neither Milos Kerkez nor Barnabas Varga will be in tomorrow's match." Kerkez appears to have teased the transfer is nearing completion himself by captioning an Instagram post with eye emojis. He has already given his approval to Liverpool, who have been looking to seal a £40m deal with the Cherries.
Leader Live
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Leader Live
Enzo Maresca feels Champions League qualification would reduce Chelsea ‘noise'
Victory for the Blues against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground will seal a top-five finish and a place in Europe's top competition for the first time in three seasons. It would mark a satisfying end to what has been at times a turbulent first season in charge for the Italian, one which began with a culling of the squad on the eve of the campaign that left a number of senior players frozen out. It was the first sign of Maresca stamping his authority on what has often looked a chaotic environment at Stamford Bridge since the current owners took charge. A job to do tomorrow. 😤 — Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 24, 2025 And despite a dip in form between December and March, during which he was loudly criticised by supporters over his playing style, he has gone on to steer the team to within one win of what neither of his predecessors during the Todd Boehly era managed. 'We needed to manage noises at the beginning but the noise was more from outside than inside,' said Maresca. 'The inside since I joined the club looked quite normal. 'I don't have the feeling that it was a mess. Since I joined the club it's been quite clear. The noise was (about) a big squad, many managers, but inside it's been all normal. 'You have more noise if you don't get results. When we were second in December, everyone was happy, everyone said Chelsea is back. Then when we dropped points everyone said Chelsea was not good enough. 'If we are able to finish in the right way there will be less noise. But if in September we're not going to win games the noise will be again a big noise.' It's all to play for on The Final Day 👀 — Premier League (@premierleague) May 23, 2025 This season has seen less emphasis from fans and critics placed on the amount of money that has been spent on recruitment since the change of ownership in May 2022. Well over £1billion has been invested in the team with virtually the entire first-team squad having been replaced, and whilst Chelsea have for most of the season looked some way off being ready to challenge for the title, their young squad has made undeniable progress under Maresca. Chief amongst those to have stood out is the club's Player of the Year Moises Caicedo who has finally come through the pressure of his British-record £115million fee to excel. 'The price that you pay for a player is not decided by the player,' said Maresca. 'If you pay money for a player it's because you consider that that price is the correct one. 'I think Moi is doing fantastic. Enzo (Fernandez) is doing fantastic, (Marc) Cucurella is doing fantastic. All players that not a long time ago there was noise around them, but now because their performances are very good, no-one is thinking about how much money we paid for them.'
South Wales Guardian
25-05-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Guardian
Enzo Maresca feels Champions League qualification would reduce Chelsea ‘noise'
Victory for the Blues against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground will seal a top-five finish and a place in Europe's top competition for the first time in three seasons. It would mark a satisfying end to what has been at times a turbulent first season in charge for the Italian, one which began with a culling of the squad on the eve of the campaign that left a number of senior players frozen out. It was the first sign of Maresca stamping his authority on what has often looked a chaotic environment at Stamford Bridge since the current owners took charge. A job to do tomorrow. 😤 — Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 24, 2025 And despite a dip in form between December and March, during which he was loudly criticised by supporters over his playing style, he has gone on to steer the team to within one win of what neither of his predecessors during the Todd Boehly era managed. 'We needed to manage noises at the beginning but the noise was more from outside than inside,' said Maresca. 'The inside since I joined the club looked quite normal. 'I don't have the feeling that it was a mess. Since I joined the club it's been quite clear. The noise was (about) a big squad, many managers, but inside it's been all normal. 'You have more noise if you don't get results. When we were second in December, everyone was happy, everyone said Chelsea is back. Then when we dropped points everyone said Chelsea was not good enough. 'If we are able to finish in the right way there will be less noise. But if in September we're not going to win games the noise will be again a big noise.' It's all to play for on The Final Day 👀 — Premier League (@premierleague) May 23, 2025 This season has seen less emphasis from fans and critics placed on the amount of money that has been spent on recruitment since the change of ownership in May 2022. Well over £1billion has been invested in the team with virtually the entire first-team squad having been replaced, and whilst Chelsea have for most of the season looked some way off being ready to challenge for the title, their young squad has made undeniable progress under Maresca. Chief amongst those to have stood out is the club's Player of the Year Moises Caicedo who has finally come through the pressure of his British-record £115million fee to excel. 'The price that you pay for a player is not decided by the player,' said Maresca. 'If you pay money for a player it's because you consider that that price is the correct one. 'I think Moi is doing fantastic. Enzo (Fernandez) is doing fantastic, (Marc) Cucurella is doing fantastic. All players that not a long time ago there was noise around them, but now because their performances are very good, no-one is thinking about how much money we paid for them.'
