Moises Caicedo: Cucurella Taps Up Former Teammate, Pochettino Refuses to Comment

• Chelsea have seen their latest bid of £70m for Moises Caicedo rejected by Brighton
• The Albion reportedly want a fee in the region of what Arsenal paid for Declan Rice
• Former teammate Marc Cucurella and boss Mauricio Pochettino have spoken on the saga

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino and former Brighton star Marc Cucurella have found different means to talk about midfield target Moises Caicedo.

The Blues are hunting for a defensive midfielder and have identified Caicedo as the ideal partner for club-record signing Enzo Fernandez ahead of the new season.

The Athletic reported that Brighton rejected Chelsea's second offer of £70m straight cash, having also rejected £60m as they want a fee in the region of what Arsenal paid for Declan Rice.

The Ecuadorian's camp is said to be wading into the discussions after the club promised the player a move in January for the same amount rejected by the London club.

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Cucurella taps up Caicedo

Full-back Marc Cucurella was teammates with the midfielder for one season before sealing a £63m move to Stamford Bridge last summer. Speaking from the preseason camp in the US via Sportskeeda, he tapped up his former mate.

"I think he wants to come here, I've read in the media lots of times. I have a good relationship with him, he is a good midfielder, and if he comes, I think we have a top midfielder for a long time," he said.

Pochettino snubs comment on Caicedo

The Spanish player may have spoken as a former mate. Mauricio Pochettino avoided mentioning Caicedo by name because it's disrespectful to talk about another team's player.

“I don’t want to talk about specific names because I think the most important [thing] is the players that we have, but like us many clubs are working in the process to sign the players that can improve the team,” he said via Football Daily.

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4 players Pochettino wants out

Sports Brief reported that Pochettino wants four players sold, all of whom were dropped from the pre-season squad that travelled to the United States.

The club has sold 11 players but still has out-of-favour stars like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Hakim Ziyech, Romelu Lukaku and Callum Hudson-Odoi out before the season starts.