Chelsea are looking at bringing a midfielder to Stamford Bridge who could become even better than their current star Moises Caicedo.
Caicedo has become an integral player in Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca's starting XI in the Premier League this season, with the Ecuadorian leading the team from the centre of the pitch alongside either Romeo Lavia or Enzo Fernandez.
But it seems the Blues hierarchy are keen on reinforcing that area of the pitch with someone even better than Caicedo, as Chelsea look to close the gap to Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Chelsea want to sign Carlos Baleba from Brighton
According to Chelsea transfer expert Simon Phillips, Chelsea enquired about the availability of Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba, who has been seriously impressing for the Seagulls this term.
Indeed, former Brighton striker Glenn Murray believes that Baleba has the ability to become even better than Caicedo, who Chelsea signed from Brighton for £115m 18 months ago.
Murray told 10bet earlier in January: “There are a number of young players coming through at my old club Brighton. It is packed with potential and Carlos Baleba, as a DM, I think he’s got even more potential than Yves Bissouma and Moises Caicedo. Brighton have had quite a rich vein of defensive midfielders coming through. I think this kid’s better than both of those. I think he’s absolutely exceptional.”
The report, however, states that Brighton quickly rejected Chelsea's advances, with a potential deal from the Blues for Georginio Rutter also rebuffed.
Since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took over as owners of Chelsea in 2022, a number of Brighton players and staff have moved to Stamford Bridge. On the playing side, Marc Cucurella and Robert Sanchez have moved along with Caicedo, while Graham Potter and a number of his coaches made the switch over two years ago. Sporting director Paul Winstanley also arrived at Chelsea from Brighton.
But with Baleba tipped for even greater things than Caicedo, Brighton have decided to keep hold of the promising Cameroonian - at least for now. With more than three years remaining on his current deal, Transfermarkt's £30m valuation for the 21-year-old seems especially low.
In FourFourTwo's view, Brighton are right to wait until the summer before listening to offers for Baleba. He's only going to get better in the coming months and years, with a nine-figure fee possible if he continues along the same trajectory.
