Chelsea have been hurt in the transfer market before and they are determined not to do it again. Having got very little return on their £250million ($320m) investment from last summer, lessons have been learnt.
Not only has the general plan of action changed from experienced heads in 2022 to young stars of 2023, the owners have embraced early failures and addressed such business with widespread sales. In order to best deal with the demands of Mauricio Pochettino heading into a crucial second season for Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital, the Blues have cleared their squad heading into their tour of America.
Now, attention turns to the additions that will be made. Despite such lavish spending so far there are still key areas to be improved including the centre forward position and goalkeeper choice. However, first and foremost the next big situation to recruit in is the midfield.
With five first team figures from last term already departing over the past six months, there is a hole in the squad that even the energy and bustle of Enzo Fernandez and Conor Gallagher cannot fill. There are young options to intergrate but with top four demands and financial pressure growing to secure Champions League football, Chelsea need more to balance their squad.
The answer appears to be Moises Caicedo but even their best attempts have been thwarted so far. The Ecuadorian is running out of options having been the talk of the town since three bids between Chelsea and Arsenal were lodged in January, a move to Stamford Bridge is now open.
With other interested parties all choosing different directions and players, Chelsea are the runaway leaders in the race to sign him with little competition remaining. He has given his blessings and made his desire to join the club apparent, but that's only half of the battle.
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Regardless of his intentions to leave Brighton, Chelsea have to negotiate a price and history tells a worrying story. Having signed a new long-term deal earlier this year - a move to bump up his price and warn off suitors over the winter - Caicedo is not easily available.
Brighton's valuation of him is £100million ($128m). For a player with less than two years of Premier League experience, aged just 21 and with all the talent in the world, it is quite the sum to be billed. Getting around such a fee is far from simple.
The Seagulls are shrewd opperators in the market and have their demands set in stone, rarely will Tony Bloom or Paul Barber accept less than they wish to recieve. The ball is in Chelsea's court now but there is a long road to securing an agreement.
This summer alone has strengthened Brighton's position. They have watched as big-money midfielders move across Europe for staggering sums. Be it Jude Bellingham to Real Madrid for £88million ($112.9m) or Declan Rice to Arsenal for £105million ($134m), the stance has been set.
Teams are willing to splash their budgets on all-round midfielders combining youth, physicality, tenacity and exceptional ball skills and versatility. Putting it like that and there is no wonder why but Chelsea will be left stumped. Even with very few additions needed across the board, paying such a price for a player that moved for less than £5million ($6.4m) in 2021 is a blow to stomach.
This is also not the only time market waves have dictated the price of transfers. Chelsea were forced to play along with Shakhtar Donetsk in January as they consistently pitched Mykhailo Mudryk in the same bracket as Jack Grealish and Antony. Both players went for upwards of £90million ($115.5m) and should the Ukraine winger be successful at SW6, the Blues will end up paying close to that themselves.
It was an effective PR campaign from Shakhtar to place their 22-year-old attacker alongside the best in the world. Arsenal were unwilling to match the demands and payment structure, but Chelsea didn't flinch. However, having watched Mudryk take his time to adapt, the same process may well be set to happen with Caicedo.
So often it is environment that allows a player to thrive and without Brighton's security and familiarity there is no certainty that Caicedo will be the same player at Chelsea as he is now. To have such a monetary risk attached to the transfer creates doubt around the move that isn't helpful for any party.
The price has been set, though, and if Chelsea wish to take the risk then they will have to stump up Brighton's asking price.
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