Chelsea are reportedly prepared to better Liverpool's offer for Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo.
After a drawn-out saga throughout the summer window, the race for the Ecuador international appears to be coming to an head just hours before the start of the Premier League campaign.
Up until Thursday night, Chelsea had been the clear frontrunners for the 21-year-old, who is known to be interested in making the switch to Stamford Bridge.
However, with the Blues having failed to meet Brighton's £100m demands, Liverpool stepped in on Thursday night to bid in the region of £111m.
The development was confirmed by manager Jurgen Klopp, with the German being informed by club officials that he was in a position to confirm that an agreement was in place with Brighton.
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On the back of that public acknowledgement, the assumption was that Caicedo would make the trip to Merseyside and undergo a medical ahead of completing a British-record transfer.
Instead, as first reported by The Guardian, Chelsea intend to put forward a proposal that is higher than the one offered by Liverpool.
There have been suggestions that Caicedo has opted to remain in London for the time being, awaiting further developments until it is established whether Brighton are willing to accept any new terms presented by Chelsea.
Furthermore, it is added that Chelsea are prepared to offer Caicedo a more lucrative deal, contributing to the hesitancy of the player and his representatives.
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As it stands, though, Chelsea have not made any planned offer official, and any improved bid would come after a deadline of Thursday night that was set by Brighton.
The two Premier League giants are doing battle for Caicedo just two days before they are scheduled to square off in their opening Premier League fixture on Sunday.
Southampton's Romeo Lavia will also be an interested observer, it being reported earlier this week that Chelsea were prepared to hijack Liverpool's efforts to sign the Belgium international.
Liverpool have allegedly offered £45m for the former Manchester City prospect with Chelsea making a £48m bid, Southampton currently standing firm in their desire to recoup £50m.
Neither Caicedo or Lavia are in a position where they will come into contention for Sunday's fixture, with the midday deadline on Friday for new signings having now passed.
Darren Plant
