Chelsea are going to "push very hard" for the signing of Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo this summer, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

Is Caicedo leaving Brighton this summer?

The future of the 21-year-old has been a big talking point in recent weeks and months, with a move away from the Amex Stadium expected soon.

Caicedo's Brighton teammate Alexis Mac Allister has already sealed a switch to Liverpool and it would be a big surprise if he hadn't also completed a transfer sooner rather than later.

Chelsea are one of numerous top Premier League clubs who are reportedly in the mix to sign the £15,000-a-week Ecuadorian – Arsenal arguably appear to be the favourites to snap him up – but given the level of interest in him, it won't be easy for the west Londoners to get their man.

It certainly looks as though they are not going to give up without a fight, however, with a fresh update offering encouragement to Blues supporters.

Are Chelsea going to sign Caicedo?

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jacobs claimed that Chelsea are going to really try to sign Caicedo before the start of the new season:

"We know that they tried for Ugarte before pulling out. Caicedo will be a high priority, as he was in January, and Chelsea bid £55million back then. I expect Chelsea to enter the race for Moises Caicedo and push very hard on that front because he has been a long-standing target.

"He is exactly what Chelsea need – a number six with strong defensive qualities and, on top of that, the ability to get box-to-box. But they will want one more, for sure."

Caicedo, who was called an "old school" player by Garth Crooks, could be an absolutely superb summer addition by Chelsea – he has been hailed as "fantastic" by former Brighton and Blues manager Graham Potter – at a time when N'Golo Kante has sealed a move to Saudi Arabia, and Mateo Kovacic could also move on.

The 30-cap Ecuador international clearly isn't going to be available on the cheap, but he could be worth every penny, having averaged 2.7 tackles in the league in 2022/23, which was a higher tally than any other Brighton player.

There is also the issue of Chelsea not having any European football to offer Caicedo, following a dire domestic campaign, which has the potential to work against them, considering some of their rivals than offer him playing time in the Champions League. They must do all they can to get him, though, in what would be such a significant piece of business.