Chelsea remain focused on a deal to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton despite alternatives being discussed internally.
Chelsea have seen two bids rejected for the Ecuador international, the second of which was in the region of £80m.
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Caicedo is keen to complete a move to Chelsea and has spoken openly on his desire to sign for the west Londoners, but Brighton have remained firm in their valuation of the 21-year-old.
Brighton are understood to be using Declan Rice’s £105m move from West Ham to Arsenal as a benchmark for a potential fee and believe Caicedo is of similar value to the England international.
Fabrizio Romano is reporting that Chelsea have considered alternatives to Caicedo during internal discussions, but remain focused on agreeing a deal for Seagulls midfielder.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have received a loan approach from Leicester for Cesare Casadei. The midfielder spent the second half of last season on loan at Reading, before starring to win the Golden Ball and Golden Boot as Italy reached the FIFA U-20 World Cup final this summer.
Chelsea had hoped to receive a Premier League approach for the 20-year-old, but Leicester are pushing for a deal as the Foxes look to build towards promotion back into the top tier.
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