Moises Caicedo has shed light on why he chose to join Chelsea over Liverpool, despite the allure of moving to a “big team.”
Last summer, Caicedo was at the centre of a transfer battle between the two Premier League clubs after he decided to leave Brighton.
Chelsea had long admired the Ecuadorian international but initially refused to meet Brighton’s asking price.
This allowed Liverpool to make a £111 million offer that was accepted.
However, Chelsea later agreed to a £115 million deal with Brighton, and Caicedo ultimately opted for a move to Stamford Bridge, potentially setting a British club record fee.
Caicedo has now revealed why it was difficult to disregard Liverpool’s interest.
Liverpool, having been beaten by Chelsea to the signing of Romeo Lavia, addressed their defensive midfield needs by acquiring Japan international captain Wataru Endo from Stuttgart for £16.25 million.
Despite a challenging start to last season, Caicedo improved significantly after Christmas and played a key role in helping Chelsea finish sixth in the Premier League.
He also starred in Chelsea’s narrow 1-0 defeat to Liverpool in the League Cup final at Wembley in February.
“It was difficult,” Caicedo said.
“So difficult. As you know, Liverpool is a big team.
“As is Chelsea.
“But Chelsea was with me for a couple of months.
“I could not miss out on them because they were with me in tough moments when Brighton didn’t want to let me go.
“It was a difficult decision but, for sure, 100% I knew I wanted to go to Chelsea.”
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