"Caicedo would happily join Liverpool": Pressure on Chelsea to act with 1pm GMT deadline

Liverpool still have a slim chance of signing Moises Caicedo but it all rests on Chelsea matching Brighton's new minimum bid of £111 million.

According to Dave O'Connell, Caicedo is still open to joining Liverpool but Chelsea is his first choice. He writes: "Caicedo’s representatives have given Chelsea a deadline of 1pm GMT today to match of outbid Liverpool.

"If Chelsea match Liverpool’s offer he will go to Chelsea. This is due to the fact that he has had an agreement with Chelsea for some time and wants to respect the agreement with the London club.

"Caicedo would happily join Liverpool if Chelsea do not outbid the Reds. His representatives spoke to Chelsea this morning and informed them they will have to match or beat Liverpool’s offer to satisfy Brighton.

"Caicedo would happily join Liverpool if Chelsea do not outbid the Reds. His representatives spoke to Chelsea this morning and informed them they will have to match or beat Liverpool’s offer to satisfy Brighton."

Although the 21-year-old would "happily join" Liverpool, it would feel odd to sign a player for a Premier League record of £111 million despite not being the player's first choice destination.

It seems like a minor detail but a player that is in two minds is not the sort of player Liverpool would typically pursue.

When asked about signing Caicedo, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino said: “I never talk about players that don't belong to us. I am respectful."

Could that be a dig at Klopp? The German revealed to the press this morning that Liverpool have agreed a fee with Brighton although he would say little more on him.