Moises Caicedo has rejected Liverpool in favour of a move to Chelsea with an audacious contract this summer, the midfielder’s deal with the London club a deciding factor in choosing the club.
Caicedo has undergone his medical with Chelsea and is set to be unveiled as their latest signing for a British record fee of £115 million.
This comes after the breakdown of Liverpool’s pursuit, with the Reds agreeing a deal worth £111 million with Brighton. However, it was turned down by the player as he wanted to join only the Blues.
Caicedo joins Chelsea with an amusing contract
According to Sky Sports, Chelsea will pay an initial £100m for the 21-year-old, with the remaining £15m negotiated in add-ons.
Moreover, half of those add-ons are related to the midfielder’s performance. They are described as “quite easily achievable” while the other half will be “much harder.”
Chelsea may have only outbid Liverpool by £4m, but it is Caicedo’s preference in heading to Stamford Bridge that swayed the decision. The Ecuadorian has agreed on an eight-year deal with the option of a further 12 months.
Moreover, it follows a trend of longer-than-usual terms under Chelsea‘s new ownership. But it doesn’t infringe on UEFA’s new rules on contracts. UEFA introduced new measures over the summer to close a loophole exploited by the London club. It was early in their tenure under BluCo.
Chelsea are still able to sign players to contracts such as Caicedo’s. However, only the amortization of payments is restricted to five years.
Also, the wages for the Ecuadorian are yet to be revealed. But reports state that he could be earning similar to the previous British-record signing in Enzo at £315,000 per week. If this is true, then the deal could go upwards of £125m in wages over the course of those eight years.
However, not including any payments to the player’s agency could cost Chelsea around £240m. Although Liverpool might have afforded him these favourable terms, they would unlikely be offering him Salah’s club-record £350,000 per week.
Moreover, it would have risked the club’s long-term stability with a guaranteed eight-year deal. And also no assurances of the player’s future form and fitness.
Liverpool is my Religion and Anfield is my Church. 17th May 1996 the date I had my blood coloured red. The one you love the most you can not live without it and that is football to me.
