have sounded out alternative midfield options if they cannot secure a deal for with Brighton reportedly holding out for a mammoth offer.
The west Londoners are in the middle of a massive clear-out of their bloated squad, with the likes of Kalidou Koulibaly, , Mateo Kovacic and all leaving for sizeable fees.
Chelsea pocketed £65m from Arsenal for the Germany international, while they have also agreed a .
That leaves the club with a sizeable transfer kitty but also a dearth of options in midfield, with N’Golo Kante also having left on a free transfer and Ruben Loftus-Cheek set to join AC Milan.
New boss Mauricio Pochettino is keen to bring in a defensive midfielder to partner club-record signing Enzo Fernandez, though an early move for Manuel Ugarte came to nothing after Paris Saint-Germain swooped in.
That has seen Chelsea , who they tried to sign in January but saw two bids rejected by Brighton.
The south-coast club are prepared to let the Ecuador international leave this summer if a suitable offer is made, though their valuation has been impacted by Declan Rice’s imminent £105million move to Arsenal.
According to the , Brighton are asking for £100m for Caicedo as a result of that deal though there is a hope from Chelsea that a fee of around £80m can be agreed.
But if negotiations drag on and Brighton hold firm over their mammoth valuation, the west Londoners are prepared to move on to other targets and have already ‘sounded out’ Everton’s Amadou Onana as well as Southampton teen Romeo Lavia.
Chelsea could face significant competition from Arsenal for the latter, but Onana – who moved to Goodison Park a year ago in a £33m deal – could be a more gettable target.
Previous reports have suggested the Toffees would want to double their money on the Belgium international, who enjoyed a strong campaign despite Everton’s struggles and was particularly impressive in a 1-0 win over Arsenal back in February.
Chelsea also want to add a second, more attacking midfielder to their ranks this summer to cover for the departures of Havertz and Mount.
Celta Vigo’s Gabri Veiga is the player they would ideally like to sign, with the Spaniard having a £34.6m release clause, but again they face significant competition – this time from Manchester City, who are eyeing the 21-year-old after missing out on Rice.
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