The situation around Chelsea's transfer target Moises Caicedo is "absolutely concrete" at the moment, and the club is working on the deal "behind the scenes", claims transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.
Chelsea transfer news - What's the latest on Moises Caicedo?
Stamford Bridge has been a hive of activity this transfer window, and whilst their cross-city rivals Arsenal might be the talk of the town so far for their additions, Chelsea have been one of the busiest club in England thus far.
That busyness stems from their player sales, however, with the club confirming the departure of eight senior players thus far, with the likely exit of at least a few more, with American superstar Christian Pulisic and Moroccan international Hakim Ziyech looking destined to leave west London.
The Pensioners have the free-spending Saudi Pro League to thank for a lot of their success in offloading players so far, with N'Golo Kante, Edouard Mendy, and Kalidou Koulibaly all making their way to the Middle East's burgeoning super league.
All that new money that has hit Chelsea's pockets has also given the club more room to manoeuvre in the transfer market, so the Blues have turned their attention towards Brighton & Hove Albion's star man, Moises Caicedo.
The midfield dynamo has become the club's priority target this summer, with Ecuadorian journalist Diego Acros telling the Evening Standard that the Blues' opening offer will be £75m plus £10m in add-ons but that the Seagulls want £100m.
Fans of the west London club shouldn't worry, however, as the clubs are in constant discussions, and this isn't a traditional deal where one side bids and the other rejects it until they finally agree. Instead, the sides are in dialogue over how to make this work, per Fabrizio Romano.
He explained the situation on his YouTube channel, saying:
"I am told that the situation is absolutely concrete and on between Chelsea and Brighton. I already explained to you many times that Chelsea and Brighton decided to go with different kind of negotiation, not the normal making an official bid and official answer.
"In this case, they are speaking club to club. It's going to take some days let's see how long it will take this negotiation. But, It's ongoing, Chelsea [and] Brighton are speaking discussing, so Chelsea are working on this Caicedo deal behind the scenes."
How good is Moises Caicedo?
There is very little doubt about Caicedo's quality; likewise, there is little doubt that should Chelsea go out and get their man, he would be able to make an instant impact in west London.
Despite it being his first full season in the Premier League, 'El Nino Moi', as he is known back home, managed to average a very impressive rating of 6.92 across his 37 appearances in the league, per WhoScored.
His performances drew praise from some of the biggest names in the game as well, with Barcelona superstar Pedri saying:
"The one I've seen who has most surprised me was the one from Ecuador, Moises Caicedo. He's very good, he's top, I like him a lot."
Unsurprisingly, his own boss, Roberto De Zerbi has waxed lyrical about the midfield maestro, saying:
"Caicedo is one of the best players for us."
His underlying numbers are brilliant as well, with FBref, who compare players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, placing him in the top 6% for pass completion, the top 11% for interceptions, the top 13% for tackles and the top 15% for attempted passes, all per 90.
If Chelsea can add Caicedo's steely determination to the centre of their midfield, they could do more than just challenge for the top four again next year.