Chelsea may have been given a huge boost in their attempts to sign Moises Caicedo with the midfielder left out of Brighton’s final friendly against Rayo Vallecano. The Blues have had four bids rejected for Caicedo with Brighton holding out for £100million.

Mauricio Pochettino has already stated on numerous occasions that he wants new midfield recruits with the club letting go of Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount, N’Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek this summer.

Caicedo has stayed quiet on the transfer saga so far while Roberto De Zerbi has admitted there is a possibility the midfielder will leave.

The transfer saga has now taken a new twist as Caicedo has been left out of Brighton’s matchday squad for their final pre-season game.

But Caicedo will play no part in the match with Sky Sports claiming he’s been ‘given the weekend off to focus on the Premier League opener’. The report suggests that Caicedo’s absence has nothing to do with Chelsea’s interest in the midfielder.

Brighton are said to be confident that their £100million asking price won’t be matched this summer. Chelsea’s last offer was reportedly worth a whopping £80m with £75m paid up front.

Brighton boss De Zerbi appears relaxed about Caicedo’s situation after talks with the club’s owner Tony Bloom. He said last month: “I spoke with Tony Bloom and he told me if the conditions don’t change, Moises stays with us.

“For me, it should be great news because it is difficult to find another great player. If Moises leaves, we have to find another player of the same level.”